Petroleum product prices… again
Automatically translated summary. The full text is available in Romanian.
Petroleum product prices, a long-sensitive issue in Moldova, returned to the public agenda after the pandemic crisis deepened in spring 2020. An Independent Think Tank “Expert-Grup” analysis reviews price trends for A95 petrol and standard diesel, the explanations offered, and the 2021 legislative response.
Oil prices fell sharply on international markets in spring 2020, even turning negative, but consumers complained that the drop was not passed on domestically. From 2021, as demand recovered, domestic prices rose steadily. Oil companies pointed to higher international quotations and excise duties: for petrol, from MDL 5,960 to MDL 6,496 per tonne, and for diesel, from MDL 2,508 to MDL 2,734 per tonne.
ANRE said it acted in line with the legal framework and its Methodology, and that it lacked levers to intervene in price formation. It admitted, however, that operators had not always passed on price decreases in proportion to falling international prices. On 9 April 2021, amendments to Law No. 461 of 30 July 2001 on the petroleum products market were approved, and ANRE is to adopt a new price methodology based on price capping.
Recent publications from Energy
See all
Study
Which interventions do (and do not) work to reduce energy consumption at peak hours
The New Energy Compensation System in the Republic of Moldova: Benefits, Challenges and Implications of Direct Payments
