Moldovan authorities to conduct inventory of gas networks

CHISINAU. Aug 29 (Interfax) - The Moldovan Energy and Finance Ministries will approve a joint order to conduct an inventory of natural gas networks in rural and urban areas of the country, the Energy Ministry said.

"Now we can talk about a system that establishes clear rules - who manages these networks, how necessary investments are ensured, and who is responsible for the safety and uninterruptedness of supplies," Moldovan Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu was quoted as saying in a press release.

In the near future, a pilot project will be launched to implement the concept of managing natural gas networks which are also managed by JSC Moldovagaz, but are owned by third parties or have no owner, the press release said. The project was developed as part of technical assistance financed by the Soros Foundation. Subsequently, the management concept will be expanded to a nationwide scale based on the experience of the pilot project.

The Energy Ministry, on the instructions of parliament, must present a concept for managing gas networks that do not belong to Moldovagaz to the government and propose a management form and an entity that will manage these gas pipelines, the press release said.

According to the Energy Ministry, the total length of natural gas transmission and distribution networks is 25,800 km, of which around 35% belong to gas companies, more than 60% are transferred for maintenance to operators of natural gas distribution systems and around 4.4% are considered networks without owners but are still operated by system operators.

Currently, the operation of the Moldovan natural gas transportation system is handled by Vestmoldtransgaz LLC and the distribution system by 19 licensees, including 12 companies affiliated with Moldovagaz.

Of the more than 15,900 km of natural gas distribution networks transferred for maintenance to Moldovagaz and its subdivisions, 6,600 km (41.5%) are owned by individuals, 6,200 km (38.9%) are owned by local government bodies and 1,960 km (12.3%) are owned by legal entities. A total of 1,170 km (7.3%) are maintained without an ownership agreement, including 300 km of networks that are ownerless.