Chisinau residents may pay more for heating

The Chisinau residents may pay more for heating, also because of re-computing the heat consumed last winter. The law-suit filed by the monopoly heater Termocom against the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) has reached the Court of Appeals. The supplier asks for annulling the CMC's decision of 14 April 2008, which approved of the tariff of 456 lei per 1 Gcal, Info-Prim Neo reports. Termocom also questions the retroactive character of the CMC's decision, arguing such provisions are not in the national law, as computing the charge is expressly provided for by a methodology developed by the Energy Regulating Agency (ANRE). “The CMC decided, in its sitting in April, that the re-calculations related to the 456-lei tariff would be mirrored in a regulation, which has never been worked out, thus the law has been violated once more,” stated Termocom's representative, Veaceslav Eni, for the court on Wednesday. In response, the CMC's lawyer, Veaceslav Popa, has rejected the accusations insisting the law was taken into account in approving of the April decision, as well as the Termocom's suggestions. “We consider the decision as perfectly legal also because ANRE sent a letter to the CMC suggesting that establishing the heat tariff is the exclusive competence of the local authorities,” Popa said. On 8 July, at the sitting of the City Hall, vice mayor of Chisinau Mihai Furtuna described Termocom's moves as a dirty attempt to get 71 million lei more from the capital's budget, due to the tariff difference of 540 lei and 456 lei per 1 Gcal. Finally the court adjourned its session for July 11, 2008, when the minutes will be considered and the writ is likely to be announced.