“If price liberalization continues – and it will – this will definitely impact the final price of natural gas. The regulator is to decide (…) We have not asked for a certain increase as regards our tariffs. Our main problem is that distribution volumes have decreased considerably but basic expenses remained the same,” Hajdinjak stated.
ANRE head Niculae Havrilet said in April that the final price of natural gas paid by household consumers will increase by 5-8% as of July 1, due to the deregulation of production prices for natural gas.
E.ON announced Tuesday that the group’s companies invested approximately RON420 million (EUR94 million) in Romania last year, mainly in upgrading natural gas and electric power distribution networks.
In 2015, the company plans to invest RON400 million (EUR90 million), also in upgrades.
Romania agreed with the European Commission and the IMF to deregulate its gas and electricity markets. The gas market was deregulated for companies in January 2014 and only household consumers currently pay regulated prices.
According to the deregulation calendar, gas prices for household consumers should have risen from RON53.3MW/h in July 2014, to RON54.6 in October 2014, to RON56.1 in January 2015, to RON58.9 in April 2015 and to RON62 in July 2015.
The government wants to delay the deregulation calendar for three years, until June 30, 2021.
E.ON Romania currently serves over 3 million customers in 20 counties.