Gas tariff in Moldova raised 29% from Oct 1 - regulator's decision
CHISINAU. Sept 28 (Interfax) - The Moldovan National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) has decided to raise the domestic final tariff for natural gas 28.8% from October 1, following a 40.8% increase from September 1, the agency said on Monday with reference to a decision of the board of directors.
The state company Energocom previously applied to ANRE with a request to raise the tariff by 29.3% due to the growth in the import price of gas.
The revision of prices was mainly due to the increase in the cost of purchasing natural gas for the period October-December 2026, which rose to 17,050 lei ($961.1 at the current exchange rate) per 1,000 cubic meters compared to 12,150 lei ($685) per 1,000 cubic meters incorporated in the current prices, the ANRE said. "Changes in other components of the regulated prices had an insignificant impact on their final level," it said.
The regulator previously said that gas supplies for October-December 2026 will amount to 159.76 million cubic meters. The total cost of gas for this period is estimated at approximately 2.72 billion lei ($153.3 million).
When calculating the new tariff, the ANRE also took into account the deficit accumulated by the company in the period from January to September 2026, in the amount of 182 million lei.
Energocom applied to the ANRE with a request to raise domestic tariffs on September 23. "The request is determined by changes in the cost of purchasing natural gas, which are caused by external factors and do not depend on the supplier's activity. Since the last request for price adjustment submitted on July 15, 2026, the European gas market has recorded growth of 42.15%," the company said.
As reported, the ANRE raised domestic gas tariffs in Moldova 40.8% from September 1, although Energocom had requested an increase of 45.1%.
The Moldovan authorities have repeatedly warned during September of the inevitability of raising domestic natural gas tariffs due to the growth in its cost on exchange platforms in Europe. In particular, Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said last week that the current gas price on trading platforms is around $1,000 per 1,000 cubic meters, which is 1.5 times higher than the base indicator used to calculate the current tariff.
Amid the worsening energy crisis, the Moldovan authorities announced the introduction of a state of emergency in the energy sector from September 26 for a period of 60 days.
The official exchange rate on September 28 is 17.74 lei/$1.
