Differentiated tariffs for electric energy to be enforced in Moldova for the first time ever, depending on consumption hours

Chisinau, 3 January /MOLDPRES/ - The companies and household consumers who have smart meters will pay differentiated tariffs for electric energy, depending on the consumption hours. The National Energy regulatory Agency (ANRE) approved a decision to this end today.   

Thus, the household consumers connected to the low-tension distribution networks (0.4 kV) of the Premier Energy Distribution will pay 4.32 lei for one kWh consumers during 07:00-23:00 and 3.31 lei for one kWh consumed during 23:00-7:00.  

The consumers from Moldova’s northern region, served by FEE Nord, connected to low-tension networks, will have day tariffs of 4.89 lei for one kWh and night-time ones of 3.90 lei for one kWh.  

The same time intervals will be valid also for the differentiated tariffs enforced for the consumers connected to the medium- and high-tension power lines, as well as for the consumers who resort to the last-option supply.  

The Energy Ministry said that the introduction of differentiated tariffs was an important step in the changing of the energy consumption behavior in Moldova and cutting the consumption in the peak hours. Presently, the consumption curve reaches high levels in the morning and evening, during 7:00-11:00 and 18:00-23:00, and to cover the demand of energy, the latter is imported at higher prices from the OPCOM exchange of Romania. Thus, the volumes of expensive energy influence the general tariff for the end consumers.   

„The great majority of the enterprises have set smart meters, which allow enforcing differentiated tariffs. Once these tariffs introduced, the industrial consumers will be able to schedule the economic activities, so as to benefit from lower tariffs,’’ the state secretary, Constantin Borosan, said.   

Emergency state was established all over Moldova on 16 December 2024 for a 60-day period, given potential risks of insufficiency of energy resources.   

The Russian giant Gazprom suspended the delivery of natural gas to Moldovagaz starting from 1 January 2025. Respectively, the Kuchurgan power station (MGRES) no longer supplies electric energy to the right bank of Dniester.

In these conditions, the Moldovan authorities said that, in January 2025, the needed quantity of consumption of electric energy of Moldova (right bank of Dniester) will be supplied with local production and with imports from Romania. Thus, according to forecasts, the heating stations from Chisinau and Balti will provide about 28 per cent of the consumption. Another about 10 per cent is to represent the renewable energy. The rest of 62 per cent of the needs of electric energy will be imported from Romania.