Moldovagaz company requests increasing gas rates by almost 50 per cent

Chisinau, 24 March /MOLDPRES/- The Moldovagaz company today asked the National Agency for Regulation of Energy (ANRE) to increase the gas rate by 48 per cent, up to 8,386 lei per 1,000 cubic metres.

At public consultations organised by ANRE today, Moldovagaz representatives said the main reason which prompted the need to revise the price represented the increase in costs for purchasing gas, triggered by the devaluation of the national currency against the U.S. dollar.

"In 2014, the Moldovagaz company incurred losses amounting to 2.6 billion lei. The postponing of the gas rate's revision will lead to increasing the level of losses and to jeopardizing of gas supply", the head of the company's economic department, Ilie Tutunaru, said.

According to the company's representatives, the debts of the enterprise to the Gazprom company are currently standing at 5.2 billion dollars.

The last revision of gas rates took place in 2011. Presently, the consumers pay 6.33 lei per one cubic metre of gas.

Last week, the Gas Natural Fenosa company also requested that ANRE increases the price for electricity by at least 50 per cent.

The public consultations will continue on the next days. Afterwards, ANRE will set forth its position on the Moldovagaz company's request, representatives of the Agency said. 

 (Reporter C. Russu, editor M. Jantovan)