Moldovan government likely to financially support low-income people as result of increase in electricity tariffs

Chisinau, 20 August /MOLDPRES/- The government is considering the possibility of coming up with a financial aid program for the cold period of the year for the categories of people with low incomes, in the context of increasing electricity tariffs. Minister of Economy and Infrastructure Vadim Brînzan made the statement today.

"We will pay the bill for the political pressure the former government did on the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) to reduce and artificially maintain electricity tariffs for final consumers. This increase was to be applied half a year ago, but the former government, through different mechanisms, influenced ANRE to delay the decision ”, he said.

The official noted that any increase in tariffs is painful, and this shows how vulnerable we are as a country and as an economy. At the same time, Brînzan said that ANRE must be an independent institution and remain outside the political pressures, because "every time the politician becomes involved in the economic processes, the citizen has to pay double".

He said he had summoned to the ministry all the operators in the energy market and informed that an economic-financial audit in the energy sector will be initiated. "We must know the real state of things. We have to see what are the real costs included in the tariffs and which were the unjustified ones ”, he said. At the same time, the Ministry of Economy asked ANRE to work out a transparent mechanism for the formation of energy tariff prices.

Late last week, ANRE increased by 16.7 per cent the tariff for electricity of northern Moldova. At the same time, the rate paid by the population served by Gas Natural Fenosa was increased by 5.5 percent.