At a parliamentary hearing before the Commission on Economy, Budget and Finance, Taran noted that the war in the Middle East has affected the supply and prices of natural gas, including contracts and upstream and downstream activities. For example, on Thursday, March 19, after strikes on LNG installations in Qatar, the price reached a level of 70 euros per megawatt-hour, unprecedented this year.
“We do not import gas from this region, nor do we import oil products. In terms of availability, there are no risks. However, at the price level, our zone is also affected by the increase in international quotations – TTF is the basis for contracts. But in the case of Moldova, SA “Energocom” buys natural gas at a price indexed according to the Front Month Index (gas price index for the nearest month of delivery – Logos Press note ). That is, the prices for March were set back in late February, before the war started,” explained ANRE Director General.
According to Alexei Taran, the effect of the current crisis may manifest itself in April: the gas price will be set on the basis of the Front Month Index as of March 31, and the price growth is obvious. On the other hand, there is an “optimistic side”: the low consumption season starts in April, so the impact on the annual price will be insignificant.
“Thus, prices in the purchasing mix from Energocom will indeed be slightly higher in April, but this, in my opinion, will not affect the regulated price for consumers. The decision to intervene or not to intervene in the price will be made already in May-June, when the quotations stabilize and the forecast price for the fourth quarter will be clear,” Alexei Taran specified, adding that “there is no panic at the moment.”
