OREANDA-NEWS. April 11, 2014. The purchasing price decreased USD 10.54 (2.7%) as compared with the same period of the past year, but increased USD 2.99 (0.8%) quarter-on-quarter, Moldovagaz says.

As it reported earlier, in 2013 the average annual purchasing price Moldova paid for gas amounted to USD 379.58 per 1,000 cu m, down USD 14.4 or 3.7% year-on-year. With an allowance for actual heat of combustion, the gas price was USD 384.92 in Q1 2013 (against USD 388.31 in Q1 2012); USD 386.25 in Q2 2013 (USD 398.01 in Q2 2012); USD 374.64 in Q3 2013 (USD 398.15 in Q3 2012) and USD 371.39 in Q4 2013 (USD 399.58 in Q4 2012).

The price for gas for Moldova is calculated on a formula that includes as a variable a price Gazprom was selling gas to non-CIS states for the last 9 months of a year preceding the year of the supply. The price is fixed every quarter as of January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 and reflects changes in gasoil and fuel oil prices for last 9 months preceding a quarter of the supply. Till 2011, the formula included a decreasing coefficient for Moldova to switch over European prices gradually. Since 2011, Moldova has bought Russian gas at European prices.

Earlier, the head of Moldovagaz Board Alexandr Gusev said the price for Moldova is expected to be declining by USD 2-3 a quarter in 2014 thanks to the trends on the global oil markets and to a decline in the average European price for the supply of Russian gas to Europe. In 2014 the average price Moldova will pay for Russian gas is expected to amount to USD 365-370 a year.