Natural gas price up 2.5 pct for households, 1.5 pct for companies as of July 1

Natural gas is 2.5 percent more expensive for households and 1.5 percent for industrial consumers starting from Tuesday, Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) President Niculae Havrilet announced.

'We have decided out of prudence to increase the weight of import gas [in the consumption pool] in July, considering the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, so the import will reach 10 percent of the consumption, especially for the purpose of storing this gas and increase the security of supply. This means a price increase of 1.5 percent for the industrial consumers paying regulated prices, and of 2.5 percent for the household consumers,' said Havrilet.

The price of gas from domestic production remains unchanged, the ANRE official mentioned.

He added that the calendar for gas market liberalization set in 2012 stipulated a 3 percent increase of the price paid by households, but new market conditions allow a smaller surge.

'The liberalization calendar stipulated a 10 percent price surge for the whole year, but the price increase for gas delivered to households will not exceed 7-8 percent,' asserted Havrilet.

The liberalization calendar agreed between the Romanian government and the International Monetary Fund in 2012 has set the deadlines of the full liberalization of the natural gas price on December 31, 2018 for households, and on December 31, 2014 for industrial consumers. AGERPRES