Moldova lowers rates for energy following agreement with Transdniestria to exchange gas for electricity
CHISINAU. Dec 8 (Interfax) - Moldova's National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) approved a reduction in rates for electricity at a special meeting on Thursday.
The rate has been lowered 17% from 5.6 lei per kilowatt-hour to 4.65 lei per kWh for consumers of state-owned company Fee Nord, while Premier Energy consumers have had their rates lowered 21.8% from 5.91 lei per kWh to 4.62 lei per kWh.
ANRE made an urgent decision in connection with a decree of the emergency situations commission requiring that rates be revised following the resumption of supplies of electricity to Moldova from Moldovan GRES in Transdniestria, as there is a state of emergency in the country. Chisinau and Tiraspol have signed an agreement on the terms of electricity supplies to the right bank of the Dniester at the expense of an increase in the volume of gas supplied to Transdniestria.
The rates were published for public discussion only an hour before the meeting.
Fee Nord, which provides electricity to the north of Moldova, and Premier Energy, which serves the central and southern parts of the country, earlier made requests of ANRE to lower rates 4.5% and 21.8% respectively.
Moldova has been sending all gas received from Gazprom to Moldovan GRES since December 4 at 5.7 million cubic meters per day, a portion of which goes to meet the needs of Transdniestria, while a portion goes to production of electricity.
A contract has been concluded between Moldovan GRES and Moldova's state-owned Energocom to supply electricity at $73.5 per megawatt-hour. Moldovan GRES provides approximately 60% of the electricity that Moldova needs. Moldova is purchasing the rest from Romania under bilateral contracts, as well as on its exchange.
Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Andrei Spinu said on social media earlier that the agreement signed with Transdniestria to supply gas to the region in exchange for electricity would lead to lower rates for electricity. The parties have preliminarily agreed to extend the agreement signed with Transdniestria to January, February, and March, Spinu said.
The official exchange rate for December 8 is 19.44 lei/$1.