Disputes in Parliament on the capping of energy prices

The prices for electricity and natural gas remain ceiling under the same conditions as at present, for the period April 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025 (electricity), respectively for April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026 (natural gas) – after the expiration of the current ceiling provisions, provides for a legislative project adopted, on Monday, of Senate, which has a regulatory object. Legal for capping the prices paid by the final customers for electricity and natural gas.

The project was adopted with 71 votes ‘for’, three ‘against’ and 47 abstentions.

According to the favorable report prepared by the specialized commissions, this project regulates the continuation of the capping of electricity and natural gas prices under the same conditions as at present, for the mentioned terms. At the same time, modifications and completions are made and supplements no. 27/2022 for clarifying the procedures for settling the amounts due to the suppliers of electricity and natural gas for the ceiling scheme for the period March 31, 2024 – the end of the ceiling scheme under GEO 27/2022. At the same time, by the changes made to the Law on electricity and natural gas no. 123/2012, there are measures that have the role of ensuring liquidity and predictability in the wholesale market.

The draft normative act aims to establish the following temporary measures: granting support measures similar to those included in GEO no.27/2022, respectively invoicing the invoiced final prices, compensating the difference from the budget, for the electricity consumers, between April 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025; The granting of support measures similar to those included in GEO no.27/2022 regarding the measures applicable to the final customers of the electricity and natural gas market between April 1, 2022 -March 31, 2023, respectively the capping of the invoiced final prices and the compensation of the difference, for the consumers of natural gas, between April 1, 2025 -31 March 2026, is specified.

An amendment admitted to the project stipulates that, ‘in cases where the Republic of Moldova cannot ensure its national electricity consumption by its own production, the electricity producers have the obligation to conclude bilateral contracts, within the available quantities, with electricity suppliers designated by the Government of the Republic of Moldova in this sense, to the price, to the price, to of greenhouse gas emissions, as the case may be. The electricity sold under these conditions covers exclusively the consumption requirement of the final consumers in the Republic of Moldova ‘.

During the plenary debates, USR Senator Violeta Alexandru stated that this ceiling scheme is a ‘manipulation’ of the Government, which ‘ceiling some costs, prices that are high anyway from the gate of state producers’.

‘Let’s stop with manipulation how the government comes and does the population and say it to the right: the prices are already high when they talk about the ceiling. There is no information, no thought, no vision, no communication for the population, what happens after these three months in which the ceiling scheme is extended (…). It is a populist scheme, by which the government boasts that he takes care of the population, « said Alexander.

Senator Gold Petrișor Peiu, in turn, claimed that the government is ambitious to go with a ‘hypocritical’ scheme, based on a ‘great lie’.

‘The Government has today 5 billion unpaid lei to suppliers (…). The government has proven that he cannot support this scheme until today, but wants to extend it. I believe that the government is deceived and comes with this ordinance that solves the problem of political communication of the election campaign, but does not solve the substantive problem, because the government is ambitious to go with a hypocritical scheme, based on a great lie. That money does not exist, ‘Piu pointed out.

In reply, PSD senator Daniel Zamfir claimed that the ceiling mechanism is the ‘only’ that protects the citizens from this ‘fluctuation’.

The draft law for the approval of the Government Emergency Ordinance no.6/2025 regarding the measures applicable to the final customers of the electricity market between April 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025, respectively the measures applicable to the final customers in the natural gas market between April 1, 2025 – 31 March 2026, as well Deputies, decision -making in this case.