Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu made this statement during a cabinet meeting. According to him, the ministry is closely monitoring the evolution of gas and petroleum product prices on international exchanges and assessing their impact on the cost of supplying these energy resources to our country. The head of the Ministry of Energy emphasized that assessments indicate a serious risk of rising natural gas prices for end consumers in Moldova in the near future. He noted that this increase could be significant and would seriously impact household budgets. At the same time, as Dorin Junghietu noted, it is not yet possible to specify a potential new gas tariff, since any proposal to raise the gas tariff will be reviewed by the National Energy Regulatory Agency based on justified costs. Earlier, the Minister of Energy noted that a new increase in gas prices for end consumers in Moldova is highly likely, given the continuing rise in gas prices, but clarity will emerge after Energocom presents the average purchase price for September. Dorin Junghietu noted that natural gas prices on the European exchange continue to rise due to the regional situation, and at one point exceeded 83 euros per megawatt-hour, which amounted to approximately $1,000 per 1,000 cubic meters. The rise in gas prices is driven by several factors, including the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, competition for liquefied natural gas between European and Asian markets, and the still-low level of underground storage in Europe. As the head of the Ministry of Energy noted, the continuation of this market volatility makes the need for a new tariff adjustment by the National Energy Regulatory Agency increasingly evident. He recalled that from August through October, the National Energy Regulatory Agency (NARE) approved an average purchase price of approximately 54 euros per megawatt in the current tariff. As previously reported, the natural gas tariff for residential consumers in Moldova was last raised on August 21 of this year by 40.7%—from 13.35 to 18.79 lei per cubic meter, excluding VAT (from 14.42 to 20.3 lei, including 8% VAT). The new rate took effect on September 1. // 22.09.2026 — InfoMarket