Chisinau residents face higher water bills under new ANRE proposal
Household consumers in Chișinău may soon see higher utility bills as regulators evaluate a proposed water and sewage rate adjustment.
Under calculations by the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE), combined rates would rise from 18.62 MDL to 21.39 MDL (€1.09) per cubic meter. This represents an overall increase of 2.77 MDL per cubic meter.
Disagreement over rate calculations
Municipal operator Apă-Canal Chișinău initially requested a water rate of 15.55 MDL per cubic meter. However, ANRE proposed a lower rate of 13.99 MDL.
For sewage services, the operator requested an increase from 5.63 MDL to 7.68 MDL per cubic meter, compared to ANRE's draft rate of 7.40 MDL.
Existing tariffs were established in March 2025, setting drinking water at 12.99 MDL and sewage at 5.63 MDL per cubic meter.
Revenue gaps fuel adjustment request
Apă-Canal Chișinău justified the adjustment request citing projected operational revenues of €51 million (approx. 1 billion MDL) alongside tariff deviations exceeding €3.15 million (61.8 million MDL).
ANRE will make a final determination on the proposed rates during an upcoming public hearing.
For comparison, consumers in Bălți—Moldova's second-largest city—currently pay 27.40 MDL (€1.40) per cubic meter following an adjustment in April 2025.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
