OREANDA-NEWS.July 03, 2012. The gas consumption dropped by 2.5 per cent to 470.4 million cubic metres in the first quarter of 2012 against the same period last, according to a report by the National Agency for Regulation of Energy (ANRE).

ANRE's data also show a decrease in the consumption over the last years following an increase of the rates. Nonetheless, the diminution was lower in the first three months of 2012 against the same period of 2011, when the consumption decreased by 4.9 per cent. In the first quarter of 2012, the residents consumed by 2.4 per cent less gas than in the same period of the year before. In 2011, the Agency was informing about an 8.8-per cent cut in the consumption of household end-users.

In 2012, the energy sector enterprises consumed by 0.8 per cent less gas than in the previous year, and the rest of the economic agents - by 8.2 per cent. Only budgetary institutions slightly increased their consumption by 0.8 per cent.

The energy sector enterprises consumed most of the gas - 45.5 per cent. The household consumers had a quota of 31 per cent, economic agents 16.7 per cent and budgetary institutions 6.8 per cent.

The gas supplies to consumers amounted to over 2.827 billion lei, - up by 25.6 per cent against the same period of 2011, because of an increase in the gas acquisition prices. In the first quarter of 2012, the price of gas purchased from the Russian Gazprom was by 30.7 per cent higher against the same period last year, and the supply rate for consumers - by 28.9 per cent.

The consumers' payments for gas stood at a level of 90.3 per cent.