OREANDA-NEWS. April 09, 2012. The Gas Natural Fenosa power operator has signed a new power supply contract with the Cuciurgan power plant, sources in the negotiation process have said.

According to some sources, Chisinau managed to obtain a price of 6.9 cents per one kw/h, by 13.2 per cent than the previously-paid one. The company has initially asked for a rate of 7.3 cents per one kw/h, against the previous one of 6.1 cents.

The head of the Gas Natural Fenosa, Vasile Gribincea, has said that the company he is representing has done its utmost to ensure the power supply in the area he is in charge of and that a press release on the matter is to be issued in the nearest future. Some media outlets have already wrote that a power supply contract with the Cuciurgan power plant had been allegedly signed.

The old contracts between Moldova, the Ukrainian company Power Trade and the Cuciurgan power plant expired on 1 April. Ukraine has announced about its intention to cease the power exports to Moldova on 1 April. Today, the Ukrainian side accused Moldova of stealing the electric power from its system, although Moldova has not signed a new power supply contract so far.

Moldovan power plants supplied about 21.4 per cent of electricity consumption in 2011, against 27 per cent the year before. Over 88 per cent of the electric energy was imported.