Value of compensations for Moldovans enjoying centralized heating to increase in January

Chisinau 3 January /MOLDPRES/ - The value of the compensation for energy for those over 120,000 applicants who have centralized heating will increase in January, after today the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) approved an increase in tariffs for the thermal energy delivered to the consumers from Chisinau and Balti. Labour and Social Protection Minister Alexei Buzu today made statements to this effect at a news conference.  
„Today, ANRE ruled to increase the tariff for thermal energy. The government will compensate these tariff growths, so that the households benefiting from compensations for this energy source for January will enjoy an increase in the compensation’s value. This means that the compensation which they receive for January will be higher. We will adjust the regulations necessary and the beneficiaries in next February will know the value of the compensation for January,’’ Alexei Buzu said.    
The minister noted that, for last December, the government had increased the compensations provided to the citizens, for whom the main source of heating is the natural gas, in the context of the increase in the gas tariffs. In January, the compensations for the applicants having centralized heating will be increased. At the same time, compensations will be provided for electric energy for a monthly consumption of 110 kV for the period January-March 2025.  
„These compensations will make sure that the families will not pay more for energy this year as compared to the year before. In January, we will increase the compensations to the beneficiaries who heat the homes with thermal energy and will provide compensations for electric energy, at a monthly consumption of 110 kW, so that we make sure that they will not pay more in January than in last December. Thus, all tariff increases will be covered by the government,’’ Buzu also said.    
For December 2024, the budget for compensations for energy will be of half a billion lei and about 680,000 households, where 1 million 380,000 people live, will benefit from compensations.  
ANRE today approved higher tariffs for thermal energy delivered to the residents from Chisinau and Balti, Thus, the Chisinau residents will pay 2,510 lei for one Gcal, without value added tax (VAT), while the consumers from Balti will pay 2,126 lei for one Gcal, without VAT.   
The government has been providing compensations for energy to the vulnerable households through the Assistance at Meter programme for the third year in a row. The consumers can benefit from compensations, if they heat their households by using natural gas, electric energy and solid fuel (wood, coal, pellets, briquettes). The compensations are provided for the cold period of the year, which includes the months November-March.