Moldova's Natural Gas End-User Price to Rise 28.8% from October

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 28, Moldova's National Energy Regulatory Agency approved an adjustment to the natural gas end-user price, raising it by 28.8% effective October 1. This adjustment follows a 40.8% increase in natural gas prices on September 1. Moldova's state-owned energy company Energocom had previously applied to the regulator for a 29.3% increase in the relevant price, and the final approved rate was slightly lower than the company's request.

The adjustment was mainly driven by higher natural gas procurement costs in the fourth quarter. The regulator estimated that the natural gas procurement cost for October to December 2026 will rise to 17,050 lei per 1,000 cubic meters, equivalent to approximately USD 961 at the current exchange rate, significantly higher than the 12,150 lei used in the current pricing system. About 159.76 million cubic meters of natural gas is planned to be procured during the same period, with total procurement costs expected to reach approximately 2.72 billion lei. In its price calculation, the regulator also included a cumulative cost gap of approximately 182 million lei for Energocom from January to September this year.

Energocom stated that since its last price adjustment application on July 15, European natural gas market prices have risen by 42.15%. The company attributed the increase to changes in international market procurement costs, including reduced liquefied natural gas supply, low European inventory levels, and intensified competition between European and Asian markets for available gas sources. As a result, Moldova's natural gas prices have risen significantly for two consecutive months in a short period, and import costs have become the main driver of changes in domestic end-user prices.

Moldova's National Energy Regulatory Agency had previously raised the natural gas end-user price for September by 40.8%. At the end of September, Moldova's energy sector also entered a state of energy emergency. The new price will take effect before winter heating demand rises, and changes in natural gas procurement costs will continue to be passed through to local heating and natural gas power generation.