THE CHAIRMAN OF "OUR PARTY" CLAIMS THAT AFTER THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS CITIZENS WILL FACE A NEW INCREASE IN ENERGY PRICES

Immediately after the presidential elections, Moldovan citizens are expecting a new increase in prices for natural gas and electricity. The chairman of "Our Party" and potential presidential candidate Renato Usatii wrote about it in social networks.

According to Usatii, this is inevitable due to the increase in the tariff for gas transportation by 266%.

"Until September 19, 2023, Moldova's gas transportation system was managed by Moldovatransgaz, a subsidiary of Moldovagaz. Last year, as part of the implementation of the Third European Energy Package, the transportation networks were transferred to the management of Vestmoldtransgaz, a subsidiary of Romanian Transgaz, by decision of the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE). At the time of the network transfer, the tariff for natural gas transportation was 237.2 lei per thousand cubic meters of gas. Immediately after the network transfer, in October 2023, Vestmoldtransgaz requested ANRE to increase the tariff and received a new one - 431.2 lei per thousand cubic meters of gas. But not even a year passed: on August 23, 2024, ANRE, at the request of Vestmoldtransgaz, again increased the tariff for gas transportation - now to 631.9 lei per thousand cubic meters. In other words, in less than a year, ANRE has increased the tariffs for natural gas transportation by 266%," Usati i explained.

According to him, "these costs are included in the general gas tariff: if a year ago the share of natural gas transportation costs in the tariff of each consumer was 23.7 bani for each cubic meter, today it is already 63.1 bani."

"The latest increase is yet to be included in the overall tariff at the next revision. Immediately after the presidential election, Maia Sandu and her government plan to increase tariffs for natural gas and electricity," Usatii said.

Tariffs in Moldova are approved by ANRE. Moldovagaz board chairman Vadim Ceban said the day before that the company had not applied to ANRE about the tariff increase.