Moldova to use its gas reserves or buy gas from other suppliers if supply from Russia stops - President Sandu

CHISINAU. Sept 30 (Interfax) - Moldova is exploring various scenarios in the event Gazprom stops supplying it with gas, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.

"We still do not know what Gazprom will do on October 1, although there are only a few hours left until that date. Hopefully, Gazprom will stay committed to its obligations, the contractual obligations," Sandu said at a joint press conference with European Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn on Friday.

"If Gazprom still decides to discontinue [gas supply] to Moldova, we have reserves for a short period, a few weeks. We will use them. After that, the government will take other measures, including gas procurement from other sources," Sandu said.

If Gazprom stops the deliveries despite the existence of a four-year contract, that will mean "they do not want to sell gas to Moldova at a smaller price [the price formula will be more dependent on the oil basket than on the current gas market prices starting from October]," she said.

The same applies to power supply to Moldova from the Moldovan GRES regional power plant in Transdniestria that runs on Russian gas, Sandu said. "We are discussing the situation with Tiraspol, Ukraine and other power suppliers," she said.