Agreement to resume gas deliveries reached with Russia - Transdniestria leader
CHISINAU. Jan 15 (Interfax) - Leader of Transdniestria Vadim Krasnoselsky expects Russian gas deliveries to Transdniestria to resume shortly as "humanitarian aid", local media said.
"The negotiations were held at the level of the Energy Ministry of the Russian Federation. We discussed the possibility of resuming gas deliveries to the territory of Transdniestria. Technical details are yet to be clarified, but the gas supply for the needs of the region's residents and the functioning of the economy will be restored in the format of humanitarian and technical assistance," Krasnoselsky said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"Gas will be provided in the amount that is needed for the population of Transdniestria, the thermal power plants and industrial enterprises precisely in Transdniestria," he said.
"There is no exact date for [resuming] gas supply, but it will start, that's a fact. We will be guided by the situation. The rough times will be over soon. [...] A transit route will be determined as a result of additional negotiations," Krasnoselsky said.
Krasnoselsky also said he is ready to meet with Moldovan President Maia Sandu to discuss energy supply issues.
Media reported earlier that Krasnoselsky departed for Moscow on January 10 to discuss the possibility of resuming gas deliveries. He returned to Transdniestria on January 14.
Deliveries of Russian gas to Transdniestria via Moldova were halted after Ukraine stopped Russian gas transit through its territory on January 1, 2025. Russian gas supplies to Transdniestria stood at 5.7 million cubic meters per day.
An economic emergency has been in effect in Transdniestria since December 10, 2024 and in Moldova since December 16.
The Moldovan Energy Ministry said that Moldova would buy most electricity from Romania in January 2025, while local thermal power plants would generate about 30%.
On January 1, the Cuciurgan Thermal Power Plant, also known as Moldovan GRES, which previously used Russian gas and supplied electricity to the right bank of the Dniester river, switched to coal, with its stocks expected to last until January 20, according to local media. Gas and heating supplies to residential buildings and manufacturing facilities stopped in Transdniestria at the beginning of the month, and there have been rolling power outages since January 3.
Industrial enterprises in Transdniestria had to suspend their operations due to the electricity shortage. In particular, Transdniestria's largest company, Moldova Steel Works (MMZ), located in Ribnita, halted its operations until January 20 due to the stop of Russian gas supplies to the region.
A Ribnita bakery facility, which produced around 2 tonnes of bread per day, also suspended its operations.