Speaker: Competition Council and ANRE must keep close eye on fuel prices at pump

Speaker Igor Grosu today issued a firm appeal to the Competition Council and the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE), warning against any possible unjustified increases in fuel prices.

“When everyone is struggling, some are trying to make money. That is why the responsible authorities must keep a close eye on prices at the pump and intervene immediately if abuses appear,” Grosu declared, stressing the importance of protecting consumers in the context of rising international prices for petroleum products.

The official recalled that the authorities have implemented preventive measures and are constantly monitoring the market in order to prevent speculation and unjustified price hikes that would affect household budgets.

The competent authorities announce that the Republic of Moldova has sufficient strategic fuel reserves, given the uncertainties on the energy market generated by the situation in the Persian Gulf and regional developments. Minister of Energy Dorin Junghietu announced that our country has stocks in filling stations and storage facilities sufficient for approximately seven days of consumption. The storage facilities in Giurgiulești still hold reserves for another four to five days. “As far as gasoline is concerned, the reserves cover consumption for approximately three weeks,” the minister explained.

Energy Minister specified that Chișinău International Airport currently has about 3,000 tons of fuel, and another 3,800 tons have already been contracted for delivery in March.

“We have secured additional volumes for the months of April and May, taking into account the increase in air traffic during the Easter holidays,” the minister added.

The official further explained that the petroleum products market in the Republic of Moldova is regulated and operates through several importers and distributors, while the state holds strategic reserves through the Material Reserves Agency, which can be used in exceptional situations, particularly for critical services.

ANRE Director Alexei Taran also assured that Moldova has sufficient stocks of petroleum products. According to Taran, the crisis in the Middle East has destabilized all supply chains at the global level, and the Republic of Moldova is directly affected by international developments, given that it depends on imports of petroleum products.

“Global supply chains have been affected, which has automatically triggered a shift in stock exchanges and markets. The Republic of Moldova does not produce and does not extract crude oil, with few exceptions. What is extracted in the Republic of Moldova is not enough to fully cover the country’s consumption, so, practically, we can say that the Republic of Moldova is entirely dependent on imported petroleum products. Thus, we are subject to all price fluctuations at the international level. Everything that happens internationally affects us as well,” Alexei Taran said.

At the same time, the official underlined that the price-setting mechanism for petroleum products applied by ANRE is transparent, clear and public, and includes several components, including the 14‑day average Platts quotations, the official average exchange rate of the national currency against the US dollar, the specific commercial margin, the excise rate and the VAT rate. Thus, with the onset of hostilities in the Middle East, Platts quotations rose sharply.

“This increase has affected the entire globe, not only the Republic of Moldova; it has affected the entire region, since Platts quotations are reference quotations for transactions,” Taran said.

A state of alert at national level in the energy sector has been declared in the Republic of Moldova for a period of 60 days, starting on March 4. The decision was approved today by the Government. Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu specified that this is a preventive measure to protect the country’s energy security.