By CHISINAU. Jan 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Moldova has enough gas to survive the winter, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Andrei Spinu said on social media on Friday.
"Moldova has sufficient gas reserves to survive this winter, but [state central supplier] Energocom is continuing purchases on international exchanges," Spinu said.
Over 100 rounds of trading to purchase gas at the most advantageous price on the market based on Dutch TTF Natural Gas Futures were organized between October 20, 2022 and January 10, 2023 thanks to a 300 million euro loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), he said.
"Energocom prequalified seven companies in line with EBRD procedures still in the spring of 2022. Then, it sent quotation requests for these companies every day and received offers, choosing the most advantageous in terms of price," Spinu said.
The gas purchased has been supplied from storage facilities in Ukraine, and gas has been delivered to consumers in Moldova or sent to storage from the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline connection point and the Budinitsa connection point (Slovakia-Ukraine), Spinu said.
The average purchase price for gas totaled 965 euros per 1,000 cubic meters, which includes the cost of transport to these points, Spinu said. Energocom additionally covered the remaining delivery and/or storage costs.
As far as how much gas Moldova has purchased, the government has decided not to divulge a concrete reserves figure "for security reasons," Spinu said, promising to do so "after all risks have been overcome."
Spinu intends to request that Moldova’s National Agency for Energy Regulation analyze all expenses related to the purchase, transport, distribution, and supply of gas as quickly as possible. "The agency should make a decision on this basis whether consumer rates may be lowered. Until such time, the government is offering compensation in order to help people survive this winter," he said.
Moldova reduced gas consumption more than 40% year-on-year in December.
