Ceban: Energocom Has Grounds to Seek a Gas Tariff Increase

The gas tariff for household consumers could rise again in October after prices on the European market increased significantly in recent weeks. Moldovagaz CEO Vadim Ceban believes Energocom has grounds to submit a request for another tariff adjustment, bani.md reports. “I do not think there will be gas supply problems this winter. The problem is the price. In just a few weeks, the price of natural gas has risen from around €600 to more than €800 compared with the level taken into account by ANRE on September 1, and we are approaching €900. This will be the main factor creating the need to revise tariffs,” Vadim Ceban said on N4. According to him, pressure on the tariff could persist during the winter months, as gas prices for delivery in the coming months do not currently indicate a decline. However, there is a measure that could cushion the impact of higher prices on household consumers: using the strategic gas reserve, the Moldovagaz CEO said. “Energocom has every reason to submit a request for a tariff increase in October. But there is also an option that Energocom, ANRE and the government could consider if this situation can be regarded as exceptional, in order to mitigate this price shock,” Ceban said. He was referring to around 50 million cubic meters of gas purchased earlier at significantly lower prices. “This volume is not very large, but if we use it now instead of buying more expensive gas, we could save up to one billion lei over the winter. This could contain the increase or make it less significant,” Vadim Ceban said. The Moldovagaz CEO maintains that the gas in the reserve has already been paid for and can be used now, with the stocks subsequently replenished through new purchases. “If we are talking about tariffs and how their increase for household consumers can be mitigated, this is a solution that would not affect other resources. This gas has already been paid for and can be used now, after which it could be replaced with new purchases in January-February,” Ceban added. As of September 1, 2026, household consumers have been paying 20.30 lei per cubic meter of natural gas, including VAT.