Moldova lowers gas tariff 13.9%

CHISINAU. Feb 3 (Interfax) - Moldova's National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) has, in fulfillment of public service obligations, lowered the natural gas tariff for end consumers to 13.35 lei per cubic meter not including VAT from the current 15.5 lei per cubic meter, or by 13.9%, according to the regulator's website.

The regulator drafted the proposal, which has been approved, on Monday.

"The tariff is being lowered for several objective factors, including a drop in the average annual gas purchase price. The tariff reduction will take effect on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the Republic of Moldova," ANRE said in a statement.

The regulator's approved tariff is 5.5% (0.77 lei) lower than that requested by the state-owned company Energocom, which supplies gas to end consumers as part of its public service obligations.

Energocom submitted its proposal to the ANRE to reduce the natural gas tariff 8.8% on January 29.

According to the company's calculations, the average purchase price of natural gas intended for supply at regulated prices is estimated at 8,200 lei (418 euros at the current exchange rate) per thousand cubic meters.

Previously, Energocom said that the average purchase price of natural gas for Moldova for the gas year 2025-2026 would be around 38.5 euros/MWh, or 410 euros per thousand cubic meters. The current tariff is based on a price of 480 euros per thousand cubic meters. According to the ANRE, the purchase price of gas constitutes around 60% of the final tariff, with another 28% attributed to the cost of distribution.

The previous gas tariff has been in effect in Moldova since December 1, 2024, when it was increased 25%.

Last week, the ANRE approved Energocom's costs related to natural gas supply activities at 73.3 million lei, 36% less than the amount requested by the company (114.3 million lei).

Moldovan state-owned enterprise Energocom officially became the country's natural gas supplier with more than 800,000 consumers on September 1, 2025, instead of JSC Moldovagaz, which is controlled by Russia's Gazprom and which had its license revoked.