Romania's Energy Watchdog Confirms Keeping Household Gas, Pwr Prices Unch Jan 1

"The decision of ANRE’s Regulation Committee eyes keeping a reasonable natural gas price in the upcoming period (...) as the favorable oil and oil products prices trend will trigger the decrease of imported gas prices starting with the first quarter of 2009," an ANRE press release said.

 

ANRE's decision confirmed information published by MEDIAFAX earlier Monday.

 

ANRE also postponed the adjustment of regulated revenue and distribution tariffs for April 1, 2009, when it will also start to recover the cost difference for gas acquisition, without modifying household prices.

 

ANRE said the price increase for industrial consumers was due to higher prices, especially for the coal produced in Romania. Another reason was the need to increase the quantities of energy for the system services, due to overhauls at certain hydropower groups, which were replaced with more expensive hydropower groups, and due to the uncertain estimations on the electric power consumption in 2009, on the backdrop of the international financial crisis.

 

The latest household gas price adjustment took place on July 1, when prices rose by an average of 12.5%.