Premier Energy and FEE Nord request major tariff increases
On January 2nd, the largest electricity distributors in the Republic of Moldova, Premier Energy and FEE Nord, submitted requests to the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) to increase tariffs.
If the requests are approved, residential consumers could face nearly double the current rates.
For Premier Energy customers, the rate for one kilowatt-hour could rise to 5.13 MDL, compared to the current rate of 2.34 MDL. In the northern part of the country, consumers served by FEE Nord could pay 4.53 MDL per kilowatt-hour, compared to the current tariff of 2.84 MDL.
A decision regarding the new tariffs must be made within five days, in accordance with the Extraordinary Situations Commission (CSE) directive. ANRE will analyze the requests and make a decision accordingly.
The tariff increases are requested due to the shutdown of the Cuciurgan Power Plant, which previously supplied the majority of Moldova's electricity. As of January 1st, it no longer provides power to the right bank of the Dniester River. As a result, the energy deficit is being met through local production and other external sources. According to Energocom, by January 2025, Moldova’s electricity consumption will be covered by a diversified mix of sources: 27.8% from thermal power plants, 16.3% from Nuclearelectrica, 39% from OPCOM, 10.1% from renewable sources, and 6.7% from bilateral imports from Romania.
Energocom has developed a power supply schedule for January for the right bank of the Dniester River.
It should be noted that these are not the highest tariffs that consumers in Moldova have paid. In December 2022, ANRE approved tariffs of 5.91 MDL per kWh for Premier Energy customers, and FEE Nord customers paid 5.6 MDL per kWh.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
