Moldovan energy minister says tariffs did not rise because of domestic decisions, but because Russia used energy as political weapon

Energy tariffs did not increase because of domestic decisions, but because Russia used energy as a political weapon. Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu has made statements to this effect in an exclusive interview given with MOLDPRES.

“It is important to clarify one thing: tariffs did not rise because of domestic decisions, but because Russia used energy as a political weapon. In 2021, international prices reached record levels and Gazprom unilaterally reduced deliveries to Moldova. At that time, Energocom, with the support of the European Union and EBRD financing, began transparent purchases on exchanges and created strategic reserves,” said Dorin Junghietu.

In addition, according to the official, Gazprom’s share in the European Union fell from 45 per cent in 2019 to as little as 7 per cent in 2023.

“This means that there simply are not enough volumes of Russian gas to reach Moldova through intermediaries, contrary to the manipulations promoted by certain political forces,” the energy minister noted.

Dorin Junghietu also said that “cheap Russian gas is already history and the energy produced at MGRES (Kuchurgan power station) is no longer economically or technically viable.” Even locally produced renewable energy is cheaper today, the  energy ministry emphasized.

The minister also referred to the impact of the regional situation on energy tariffs.

“The ministry implements policies and does not have the right to interfere in the operational activity of enterprises, and the National Energy Regulatory Agency  (ANRE) is responsible for setting tariffs. The regional situation is quite complex, because Ukraine has lost a large part of its generation capacity and is importing energy from the regional market; consequently, as demand has increased, prices have also gone up,” the minister said.

The official noted that “interconnections between Eastern Europe and the continental European markets are insufficient; therefore, in our region the price of energy is higher,” but that “Energocom is doing everything possible to find the most competitive prices.”

Dorin Junghietu stressed that “the foremost interest of the Energy Ministry is that citizens, first of all, have energy, and then that it be secure and affordable, and on the other hand, that economic operators become more competitive, having the assurance that they will face reasonable costs.”