Moldovagaz asks ANRE to increase the tariff for natural gas supply to households by 42.4% - from 18.62 to 26.52 lei per 1 cubic meter, including VAT.
In particular, the company has sent a request to the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) to increase the tariff for natural gas supply to end users at regulated prices in 2022, in which it proposes to increase the average price of gas supply from July 1, 2022 by 45% - to 23.572 lei per 1,000 cubic meters, due to the increase of gas purchase price. In particular, Moldovagaz proposes to increase the tariff for natural gas at low pressure exit points of gas distribution networks (for residential consumers) by 42.4% - from 17.244 to 24.562 lei per 1,000 cubic meters (excluding VAT), or from 17.24 to 24.56 lei per 1 cubic meter (excluding VAT). At the same time, in the light of 8% VAT, it will increase from 18.62 to 26.52 lei per 1 cubic meter. At the same time, the company proposes to increase the tariff for natural gas at the outlets of medium-pressure gas distribution networks by 46.8% - from 15.633 to 22.952 lei per 1 thousand cubic meters. The gas prices at the outlet of medium-pressure networks were raised by 46.8% - from 15.633 lei to 22.952 lei per 1 thousand cu. meters (excluding VAT). The new Moldovagaz tariffs take into account the new average purchase price of gas at $770.64 per thousand cubic meters instead of $696.02 previously, as well as the new average forecast exchange rate of 18.81 lei per $1 instead of 18.33 per $1. Moldovagaz indicates that the effective tariff includes an average annual purchase price of $696.02 per thousand cubic meters of gas, while the purchase price in June made $873.1 per thousand cubic meters and in July - $988.61. As a result, the effective tariffs do not cover either gas purchase price or cost of gas transportation and distribution services and further increase already significant tariff deviations and lead to malfunctioning of the company and threaten uninterrupted gas supplies. To remind, as of June 1 this year, ANRE raised the tariff for natural gas at the low-pressure outlets (for residential consumers) by 22.6% - from 14,060 lei to 17244 lei per 1 thousand cubic meters (excluding VAT), or from 14.06 lei to 17.24 lei per 1 cubic meters (excluding VAT). At the same time, taking into account 8% VAT, it increased from 15.18 to 18.62 lei per 1 cubic meter. The energy regulator then only partially satisfied the corresponding request of Moldovagaz. At the same time, the company asked to introduce two types of tariffs for winter and summer periods and for the current summer season to increase the tariff for household consumers by 58.1% - from 14.060 to 22.229 lei per 1 thousand cubic meters (excluding VAT), or from 14.06 to 22.23 lei per 1 cubic meter (without VAT), or from 15.18 to 24 lei per 1 cubic meter including 8% VAT. The ANRE Management Board stated then that, according to the current methodology, it is impossible to set separate tariffs for different seasons, and it cannot agree with the hypothesis of an average annual gas price of $941.01 per 1,000 cubic meters, which, according to Moldovagaz, will reflect the situation for the period of April-September, and the methodology provides for the use of the average annual price for the entire year. At the same time, ANRE representatives agreed to establish a working group with Moldovagaz to develop a new pricing methodology for gas tariffs and consider a proposal to introduce two seasonal tariffs that would better reflect changes in gas prices in summer and winter, and would allow cover the cost of gas purchases. Representatives of Moldovagaz noted that the approved new tariffs, taking into account the previously accumulated and future negative tariff deviations, will not allow paying in full for gas with the supplier, and the holding has no other resources to pay for current supplies, they cannot be credited in banks. In this regard, they proposed to revise the current pricing methodology to determine gas tariffs, the cost of gas. // 04.07.2022 – InfoMarket
