Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu said that any potential increase in natural gas tariffs is not decided by the Ministry of Energy but by the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE), based on the approved pricing methodology. According to the minister, Energocom requested a tariff adjustment after accumulating negative deviations of approximately 106 million lei due to higher natural gas purchase prices on international markets.
“The Ministry of Energy does not set or determine energy prices. There is a methodology for establishing these prices, and ANRE applies that methodology,” Junghietu said ahead of the Government meeting on July 21.
He explained that, under the current rules, tariffs may be adjusted once a year or whenever positive or negative deviations exceed 1% of the company’s turnover. In Energocom’s case, the request submitted to ANRE is intended to prevent the accumulation of larger losses that could affect the supplier’s financial position.
The minister also noted that the Ministry of Energy has a representative on Energocom’s Board of Directors who monitors the company’s decisions.
“The Ministry of Energy has a representative who oversees the company’s decisions, but the director of Energocom informed the Board of Directors about this request only one or two hours before submitting it. They strictly complied with the methodology currently in force for setting gas tariffs,” Junghietu said.
On July 15, Energocom asked ANRE to increase natural gas tariffs by approximately 45%, from 14.42 lei to 20.93 lei per cubic meter, including VAT.
According to the supplier, the current tariff was calculated using an estimated average gas purchase price of €404.24 per 1,000 cubic meters for 2026. Between January and July, however, the average purchase price reached €423.28 per 1,000 cubic meters, while the company forecasts it will rise to €623.54 per 1,000 cubic meters during the August–December period.
The request comes only a few months after the latest tariff reduction. On February 3, 2026, ANRE approved a decrease in the natural gas tariff to 14.42 lei per cubic meter, including VAT. Before that, in December 2024, the tariff had been increased to 16.74 lei per cubic meter.