Chisinau residents in 2008 could pay for centralized heating less than this year

The tariff on the heat supplied in the municipality of Chisinau in a centralized way could be lower than 540 lei in 2008, the deputy mayor of Chisinau Mihai Furtuna said, voicing hope that if so the municipality will have to incur lower costs. The Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) in January 2008 will review the heating charge in strict compliance with the norms and legislation and in accordance with the regulations of the National Agency for Energy Regulation, and this will enable to fix a real tariff, Mihai Furtuna said. The deputy mayor made it clear that during the new heating season the consumers connected to the centralized heating system will benefit from compensations for the increased tariff, paid from the municipal budget. Furtuna did not specify yet if the compensation will be paid to all the consumers or only to the deprived groups of people. Chisinau Mayor General Dorin Chirtoaca said that regardless of the CMC’s decision on the heating charge for 2008, it seems that the City Hall will again have to cover the difference between the old and new charges next year. Mihai Furtuna said that after the former CMC decided to raise the heating charge from 233 to 540 lei, the City Hall was forced to cover the difference between tariffs, a sum of 320 mln lei being needed for that purpose. At the last meetings of the CMC this October, the councillors considered the possibility of cancelling the ‘exaggerated’ tariff of 540 lei set by the former Council. The discussions were suspended in order not to hinder the start of the heating season. The councillors said that they will return to the given issue at one of the next meetings, when they will consider a new charge for the services provided by the heat supplier Termocom SA.