Moldova, Romania to link gas pipelines, electricity grids
CHISINAU. May 21 (Interfax) - Moldova and Romania on Thursday signed a memorandum on projects that would result in the unification of the two countries' natural gas pipelines and electricity grids.
According to the document, signed by Prime Ministers Chiril Gaburici of Moldova and Victor Ponta of Romania, the projects would lay the ground for Moldova's integration into the energy market of the European Union with a possibility of long-term energy imports into the country from Romania.
The two countries agreed to lay a gas pipeline between Iasi and Onesti, extend the Iasi-Ungheni cross-border gas pipeline to Chisinau, and link the Isaccea-Vulcanesti-Chisinau, Iasi-Ungheni-Straseni and Suceava-Balti high-voltage transmission lines together.
Ponta expressed hope that putting the projects into effect would diversify gas and electricity sources for Moldova.
He and Gaburici also reached an agreement to evolve a mechanism for coordinating the two countries' efforts in implementing the projects and for seeking co-financing for them from the EU.
Preliminary calculations suggest that the projects can be put into reality by 2018. About 750 million euros is needed to make this possible, including 421 million euros to be spent on Moldova-based projects.
The construction of Iasi-Ungheni pipeline, which joins the Moldovan and Romanian gas transmission systems together, was co-funded by the EU and finished in August last year. The pipeline can transmit 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year, which can satisfy all the needs of Moldova excluding its breakaway Transdniestria province.
In March 2015, Romanian company OMV Petrom Gas began supplying Moldova with gas from Romania at a price lower than that charged by Russia's Gazprom but the volumes are very low so far.