Moldova provided with uninterrupted gas supplies for heating season - PM
CHISINAU. Sept 18 (Interfax) - Moldova has purchased almost all the natural gas needed for the heating season, and will begin to buy electricity in the near future, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said at a government meeting on Thursday.
"The purchase of more than 90% of the natural gas required for the next season has been secured. Thus, we are already provided with uninterrupted supplies of natural gas as of now," Recean was quoted by the Moldpres state agency as saying.
He said that the state-owned Energocom has purchased around 700 million cubic meters of gas, which accounts for over 90% of the projected consumption for the 2025-2026 gas year. At the same time, 96% of the required volume was purchased for the heating period from October 2025 to March 2026 inclusive. Purchases were carried out mainly at an indexed price using the TTF quotes of the first month (TTFFM) as part of 54 auctions, in which 13 companies from Switzerland, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Germany and the Netherlands participated. Twenty-six auctions were successfully completed.
"Let's also prepare for a possible scenario associated with the termination of natural gas supplies to the left bank of the Dniester - we already have mechanisms, we have European financial assistance, we know what needs to be done," Recean said.
With reference to the agency for financial reserves, he said that coal reserves have been fully replenished, and fuel oil reserves are being replenished considering existing storage capacities.
Recean said at the meeting that the electricity needs for the right bank of the Dniester river during the heating period are estimated at 2.8 billion kWh, of which 1.02 billion kWh is expected to produce from local sources and 1.78 billion kWh is planned to be imported. The annual electricity purchase procedures are scheduled to begin before September 30, and prequalification of bidders is currently underway.
Recean also stressed the importance of the planned commissioning of the Vulcanesti-Chisinau electricity transmission line by the end of this year, which will provide an opportunity for direct imports of electricity from Romania.
As previously reported, at the end of last year, the Moldovan parliament declared a state of emergency in the country for 60 days from December 16, 2024 amid the risks of gas supply halt. After the 60-day period ended, the state of emergency in Moldova was not extended.
The Transdniestrian authorities imposed a state of emergency in the economic sector from December 11, 2024 for 30 days, due to the "risk of termination of Russian gas supplies," which materialized on January 1, 2025. After that, the state of emergency was extended seven times, and it was valid until August 31, 2025.
