OREANDA-NEWS. May 17, 2010. The decision to raise tariffs was adopted by ANRE at the meeting at the suggestion of SC Moldovagaz.

In particular, the gas tariff for the household consumers with monthly volume of gas consumption up to 30 cubic meters was increased by 15,2% - up to 4118 leis per 1 thousand cubic meters and for the consumers with monthly volume of gas consumption over 30 cubic meters- by 13,6% - up to 4536 leis.

The tariff for gas for heat and power plants was increased by 16% - up to 3603 leis, for consumers connected to the medium pressure networks- by 11% - up to 4653 leis, and for those connected to the low pressure network- by 14,1% - up to 4782 leis. As ANRE CEO Victor Parlicov has informed, the decision to raise tariffs was adopted at the suggestion of SC Moldovagaz, which requested to review the current average tariff for the Russian natural gas, justifying its request by the growth in the purchasing price of the natural gas from USD231.71 up to USD 252 per 1 thousand cubic meters since II quarter 2010, changes in the exchange rate of the national currency, rising costs and expenditure for maintenance and servicing of the gas networks due to the increase of the minimum size of wages in the real economy, as well as financial losses, obtained in the I quarter of this year.

As Victor Parlicov has specified, when calculating the new tariff, ANRE took into account the projected increase in the purchasing gas price in the III and IV quarters and the exchange rate of 12.5 leis per U.S. dollar, provided in the Law on the State Budget-2010. When developing the electricity tariff, the exchange rate provided was 12,3 lei per dollar. Tariff calculations were performed taking into account the necessity of covering the actual costs of "Moldovagaz” vital for operation of the enterprise and the full payment for the gas purchased from Gazprom.

ANRE president believes that if the exchange rate and quotes PLATT'S on oil does not undergo significant change and will evolve according to the forecast of agency’s experts, the new gas tariffs will not be reviewed till the end of 2010. New tariffs set by ANRE will come into force the next week after publication in Monitorul Oficial. Last time ANRE revised tariffs for the gas and other energy resources in January 2010.