By CHISINAU. Nov 21 (Interfax) – Moldova purchased 30 million cubic meters of gas last week, thus increasing overall gas reserves almost 20% to 187 mcm, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Andrei Spinu said on Telegram.
The reserves are enough for Moldova for one month and three weeks of consumption in the winter, Spinu said.
Government enterprise Termoelectrica, which provides central heating services in Chisinau, is replenishing its reserves of fuel oil, and the Material Reserves Agency has formed coal reserves to 100% of plan for the first time in many years, Spinu said, speaking on other measures adopted by the authorities in order to ensure energy security.
Moldova has been purchasing electricity on the Romanian exchange for three weeks, but plans to start purchasing from other markets, from Bulgaria, in particular, he said.
The energy crisis in Moldova worsened in October after Gazprom reduced gas supplies 30% and Ukraine stopped exporting electricity. Moldova began actively purchasing gas for reserves held in underground storage facilities in Romania and Ukraine, as Moldova has no storage facilities of its own.
Gazprom has been supplying Moldova with 5.7 mcm of gas per day in November out of the 11 mcm that the country needs. State-owned company Energocom and Moldovan GRES in Transdniestria have been unable to agree on the station’s supplies of electricity to the right bank of Moldova amid the gas shortage in November.
Chisinau has been purchasing the electricity it lacks, around 80%, from Romania since November 1.
The European Union has promised to allocate 250 million euros to Moldova to overcome the energy crisis. The funds will be available to Chisinau starting in January 2023.
