Moldova Cuts Domestic Gas Prices by 10.1%

In August, Russian gas giant Gazprom decreased the price of natural gas supplied to Moldova in the third quarter by 27% compared to the previous quarter. In the second quarter the price was cut by 24.6% compared to the first one.

Following the decrease of the purchasing price in the second and the third quarter and due to some other positive factors, ANRE decided to reduce the domestic price to an average of 3,166 lei ($283/195 euro) per 1,000 cubic metres from 3,523 lei earlier, ANRE said in a statement.

Thus, ANRE lowered the gas price for Moldovan households by 10.1% while the price for the country's power plants was cut by 12.8%. The new prices will go into force upon their publication in the official gazette, ANRE said.

It added that it expects the purchasing price for Russian gas to grow to $196.7 (135 euro) per 1,000 cubic metres in the fourth quarter from $182.26 for the third quarter.

Gazprom sets the price of its gas deliveries to Moldova quarterly, factoring in the average purchasing price for European countries and fluctuations of global oil and gas prices.

(1 euro=16.2386 Moldovan lei)