OREANDA-NEWS. June 26, 2014. This is indicated by RIA Rating, which measured the population’s natural gas cost in countries of Europe.

According to the research, the gas price for Moldova remained the 6th lowest in Europe. Just as the year before, our country occupied the 6th line from the end in the rating. Moldovans bought gas at USD466 per one thousand cu m. The cheapest price was in Kazakhstan only, which closed the rating as the country having the largest gas resources. People of Kazakhstan bought gas at USD 67 per 1,000 cu m. Ukraine was the 2nd country by gas cheapness, with the gas price being USD 101 per 1,000 cu m.

Although Ukraine is said to pay for Russian gas “at the European price” and its new authorities under pressure by IMF jacked up the gas rates, as we can see, the gas price is still low. Ukraine may afford it, experts say, since it has its own gas resources which are allotted to meet gas needs of the private sector.

The second to the USA global gas producer, Russia occupied the third line from the end in the rating, with the average gas price equal to USD 142 per 1,000 cu m. It is followed by Belarus, which imports gas from Russia at reduced rates. Belarusian consumers buy gas at USD 145 per 1,000 cu m. As the figures show, the gas rate for consumers is USD 433 per 1,000 cu m in Romania; USD 523 in Turkey; USD 593 in Hungary; USD 620 in Serbia; USD 661 in Croatia; \\$672 in Estonia; USD 711 in Latvia and USD 719 in Poland.

Highest prices for natural gas are paid by Sweden (USD 1,729 per 1,000 cu m), Denmark (USD 1,570), Italy (USD 1,336), Portugal (USD 1,380), Spain (USD 1,260) and Greece (USD 1,254). Against the previous years, the gas rates for the population grew the most in Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Russia. They decreased the most in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Greece and Poland.