Prices of gas, electricity and heat to be adjusted Friday

The National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) will consider adjusting the natural gas, electric power and heat charges on Friday, May 14, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a press release from the Agency. Earlier, the gas supplier SA Moldovagaz submitted an application to the ANRE, asking that the average selling price for end-users be raised by 14.1%, from 3 542 lei/1 000 m3 to 4 042 lei/1 000 m3 (without the VAT of 6%). SA Moldovagaz invoked the higher purchase price of the Russian natural gas in the second quarter of 2010, the fluctuation of the exchange rate of the national currency, the increase in the costs of maintaining the gas pipelines following the rise in the minimum guaranteed salary in the real sector of the economy, and the financial losses sustained in the first quarter of this year. In connection with the possible new price rises, Veaceslav Untilsa and Iurie Colesnic - MPs representing the European Action Movement – suggested setting up a parliamentary commission that will analyze the economic and financial management of SA Moldovagaz during the last five years, given that the company demanded repeatedly that the gas tariffs be increased.