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ANRE is preparing a law package to amend the current gas market legislation
The Regulatory Authority for Energy (ANRE) is preparing a law package to amend the current gas market legislation, allowing the market liberalization ahead of the existing calendar, the institution's president Niculae Havrilet said on Wednesday.
"We are currently preparing a set of changes to the legislation in force. The Government Resolution providing for the market liberalization calendar must be repealed and an emergency ordinance is needed to amend the liberalization-related aspects in the framework law. The Grid Code, setting in place specific mechanisms for the market?s optimal operation also needs to be approved," said Havrilet.
ANRE will propose these changes to the government via the Energy Ministry, which has the right of legislative initiative.
"The subject of the day at ANRE is the gas market liberalization process. Under the law, this moment is when international prices converge with domestic prices, and the former are lower right now," Havrilet said at a conference on the oil sector's development.
The current liberalization calendar provides for a 10 percent rise of the gas buying price from 60 lei per MWh to 66 lei per MWh as of 1 July 2016, but this increase would not make sense as prices on the free market are going down, Havrilet said.
ANRE's Regulatory Board approved on Wednesday the prices for the regulated supply of natural gas to household customers, which will be by 1 percent lower for 94 percent of households (2,947,221 customers in category B1, having an annual consumption of up to 2,400 cubic metres), beginning May 1.
Havrilet also said that the import price has fallen below the price of domestic gas production, a situation which should pave the way for the complete liberalization of the market. According to the ANRE head, gas imports' having increased to some 10 percent of consumption shows that the market has changed philosophy and that things tend to return to normal, with gas being imported in summer for a lower price and keeping domestic output for the winter.