Moldova buys 80% of gas for heating season - minister
CHISINAU. Aug 26 (Interfax) - Moldovan state-owned company Energocom has purchased 620 million cubic meters of gas for the upcoming heating season, which is about 80% of right-bank Moldova's needs, Moldovan Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu said.
"According to an update from Energocom, gas purchases are at 80%. About 620 mcm of the gas needed for the 2025-2026 heating season has been purchased," Junghietu told the Moldova 1 TV channel.
Junghietu said a week ago that 500 mcm had been bought.
He recalled that Energocom would be the main gas supplier to end consumers in Moldova instead of JSC Moldovagaz from September 1. "Moldovagaz continues to act as distributor, receiving gas from the transmission operator and delivering it to the gas supplier. At the same time, Moldovagaz has been designated for a certain period [until April 1, 2026] as gas supplier to the left bank of the Dniester, where, in keeping with Moldovan legislation, unlicensed operators operate," Junghietu said.
Regarding energy security, he said Moldova's weakness in terms of gas supply had been remedied with the commissioning of the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline.
ANRE said at the beginning of August that it had decided to revoke the license held by Moldovagaz to supply natural gas to right-bank Moldova. The function of supplying gas to Moldova will pass to the state company Energocom starting from September 1 this year. The Moldovan authorities have said they have secured a 400 million euros loan from the EBRD for the state-owned company to buy gas.
ANRE said last week it had designated Moldovagaz to supply gas to the Transniestrian region for the period September 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. But it said the decision to grant Moldovagaz, which had its license revoked, the authority to supply gas to Transniestria was "temporary and transitional in nature."
Right-bank Moldova has been buying gas on the European market since December 2022, but the gas has been delivered by Moldovagaz. Moldovagaz delivered Russian gas to Transdniestria directly until January 1, 2025.
