Imported Natural Gas Prices in Moldova Rise by Nearly 75% Ahead of Winter

The price of natural gas imported into the Republic of Moldova rose by almost 75% during the first nine months of 2026. The average purchase price increased from €36.1/MWh in January to €63.1/MWh in September. The rise comes ahead of the cold season, when consumption increases and growing reliance on imports puts additional pressure on the energy market, bani.md reports. According to the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) report on natural gas market monitoring for January-September 2026, import prices followed an upward trend, particularly in the final months of the period. In January, gas was imported at a weighted average price of €36.1/MWh. The figure rose to €40.2/MWh in February before edging down slightly to €38.8/MWh in March. A sharp increase followed in April, when the price reached €52.2/MWh. From May to July, prices fluctuated around €49/MWh. A fresh acceleration was recorded in August, when the average price of imported gas reached €55.9/MWh. In September, it climbed to €63.1/MWh, the highest level during the period under review. Gas became almost 13% more expensive in a single month, while the increase since the beginning of the year amounted to approximately 74.8%. ANRE data show that the Republic of Moldova imported 670.9 million cubic meters of natural gas during the first nine months of the year. This was 5.8% more than during the same period in 2025 and 19% above the figure recorded in 2024. The increase in import volumes was driven primarily by high consumption in the first quarter, when temperatures fell significantly below the average levels recorded in recent years. The largest volume of gas was imported in January, at 195.6 million cubic meters. The report also notes that Energocom continues to dominate the natural gas import market, accounting for 77.93% of all supplies to the country. Including Energocom Trading, the two companies were responsible for more than 84% of imports during the period under review. Meanwhile, natural gas consumption by end users increased by 11.3% compared with the first nine months of last year, reaching 652.8 million cubic meters. The increase was even more pronounced among household consumers, whose consumption rose by 18% to 250.6 million cubic meters. According to ANRE, the average purchase price of gas for suppliers fulfilling public service obligations reached €65.6/MWh in September, compared with €38.1/MWh in the first quarter.