The expert predicted that in winter the inhabitants of Moldova will not be able to pay bills

CHISINAU, Sep 29 – PRIME. Residents of Moldova have not yet realized how serious problems they face with the energy crisis, since it will hit not only the poorest, it will be difficult to cope with the bills even for the middle class with a stable income, says Veaceslav Ionita, expert on economic policy at the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) Viitorul .

On September 23, the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) of Moldova approved a new gas tariff, which will come into force on October 1. For residential consumers, the tariff increased by 27.3% to $1,395 per thousand cubic meters. At the same time, the tariff for heat energy increased by 32%, to $146 per gigacalorie.

“We are facing economic destabilization, uncertainty about energy security, and political destabilization against the backdrop of economic problems, but until new bills come in, people only suspect that things are bad. In my opinion, the urban population with an upper average income will suffer the most , which has individual heating,” Ionita said in a commentary to RIA Novosti.

He noted that over the past ten years, 70,000 families in Chisinau alone have bought new apartments and have exclusively gas heating. They, according to him, will suffer the most, because these citizens are definitely not included in the state assistance program. For these people, gas bills will rise very sharply – from 75 to 500 euros. But this does not mean that the inhabitants of the villages will have it easier, Ionita pointed out.

“Sixty percent of the poorest people consume firewood: which already costs 170 euros per cubic meter. The government says that it will sell firewood to socially vulnerable citizens for 35 euros, along with delivery you will have to pay already 60 euros, which is also a high price, especially for pensioners” , the expert explains.

According to Ionita, the economic situation around Moldova is only getting more complicated, since the “gas war” between Europe and Russia has so far bypassed the country, affecting the republic only at a high price.

“Now this tension creates a more difficult situation, it seems to me that overcoming this winter will be more difficult than it seemed to us a month ago. We were clearly informed that from October 1 we may have difficulties in obtaining gas, this is also our fault, since we took on obligations and did not fulfill them,” he concluded.

Moldova is experiencing an energy crisis due to rising energy prices. Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu said that the authorities intend to reduce gas consumption in the winter by at least 15%, since Gazprom did not confirm that it would continue deliveries after October 1. The authorities have developed and submitted for discussion a plan that includes turning off street lighting, lowering the central heating temperature, transferring schoolchildren and students to distance learning. On August 1, the Moldovagaz company began disconnecting consumers who did not pay for the services for the supply of natural gas on time.

In October 2021, the Moldovan authorities agreed with Gazprom to extend the contract for the supply of gas to the republic, subject to an audit of the Moldovagaz debt in 2022. “Gazprom” said that, taking into account the situation in Moldova, it was decided to sign the contract practically on the terms of the Moldovan side, but subject to timely 100% payment of current payments. Gazprom has the opportunity to stop gas supplies to the republic at any time.