Moldovagaz to continue buying gas from state-owned Energocom in July, not to resume imports from Gazprom
CHISINAU. July 2 (Interfax) - The state-owned Energocom will supply natural gas to Moldovan national operator Moldovagaz, which is half-owned by Russia's Gazprom , in July, Moldovagaz CEO Vadim Ceban said on Telegram.
He said Energocom was chosen at an auction.
Gas from Energocom costs 34.43 euros/MWh, equivalent to 366.34 euros per thousand cubic meters. The price was 349.79 euros and 331.22 euros in June and May, respectively, when Moldovagaz bought gas from Energocom.
The parties have contracted 159,600 MWh, or an estimated 15 million cubic meters of gas for July.
Ceban said Moldovagaz would continue to buy natural gas at the lowest prices offered on the market.
Moldovagaz and Gazprom signed a five-year gas supply contract, which came into force on November 1, 2021. Daily gas supplies to Moldova were reduced by 30% from October 1, 2022, to 5.7 million cubic meters due, Gazprom said, to technical problems associated with restrictions on gas transit through Ukraine. Gazprom continued to supply that volume in subsequent months and since the beginning of 2023 - 5.7 mcm per day or less than 40% of the volume needed during the cold months of the year.
Moldova has not used gas supplied by Gazprom since December 3, 2022. All the gas has since December 4, 2022 gone to the Moldavskaya GRES or MGRES power plant in Transdniestria, which generates 80% of Moldova's electricity in return. The contract with MGRES is valid until the end of 2024.
The right bank of the Dniester, which is Moldova, the left bank being Transdniestria, has been buying gas on the spot market via the state-owned Energocom, which has also been storing gas in Romania and Ukraine. Inventory ahead of the 2023-2024 heating season exceeded 700 million cubic meters, which lasted until the end of March.
That inventory had been used up at the end of March. The parliament has passed legislation, according to which gas inventory must be at least 15% of annual consumption or around 100 mcm as of October 1.