ANRE will increase the specific trade margin for retail sales of basic standard-type petroleum products from 2.62 to 2.91 lei per liter.
This is stipulated in the draft of the corresponding decree of the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE), which the energy regulator submitted for public consultations. Comments and proposals on the document will be accepted until December 14. It is stipulated that the specific trade margin for retail trade of basic standard-type petroleum products of 2.91 lei per liter will be set for the first half of 2023. ANRE indicated that the value of the weighted average specific trade margin of petroleum products market operators, calculated on the basis of the average total profit and own costs of all participants in the retail market of basic petroleum products, for the 5 years preceding the first year of the methodology, was 2.91 lei per liter (2016-2020), and after applying the maximum level of efficiency of 10%, for the second half of 2021 was 2.62 lei/liter. As a result, by ANRE's decision of 01.09.2021, the specific trade margin for the retail sale of standard basic oil products for the second half of 2021 was approved at 2.62 lei/liter, being further maintained in the first and second half of 2022. Now ANRE proposes that the specific trade margin for the first half of 2023 be approved at 2.91 lei/liter. As noted, when assessing the coefficient that could be applied for the next period of the specific trade margin, the Agency seeks to strike an appropriate balance between the interests of consumers and preserving the reliability of the petroleum products market. At the same time, the energy regulator emphasizes that the war in Ukraine has had and continues to have severe economic consequences for Moldova, as all the traditional supply chains of petroleum products from the East have been lost. In Q2 2022, the average inflation rate in Moldova was 33.9%. At the same time, an embargo on Russian crude oil was introduced on December 5, and on February 5 - on petroleum products of Russian origin. Under such circumstances, ANRE proposes a weighted policy on the cost and profit basket included in the calculation of retail prices for basic standard-type petroleum products, and proposes to eliminate for the next period, effective January 1, 2023, the 10% efficiency factor used for the base semester application of the methodology. ANRE believes that the specific trade margin should be set at 2.91 lei/liter and correspond to the average base value. The specific trade margin for the retail sale of basic standard-type petroleum products includes transportation and insurance costs to the territory of Moldova (including refining margin), loading and warehousing costs, other costs related to retail sale, as well as profit. // 25.11.2022 - InfoMarket.
