Contract with Gazprom profitable for Moldova, its terms should be preserved - Moldovagaz CEO

CHISINAU. Oct 13 (Interfax) - Moldovagaz CEO Vadim Ceban has said the contract with Gazprom is beneficial for Moldova and should be kept with the current terms.

"Let's maintain this contract that we have with Gazprom and fulfill our obligations. This is what we want. The price offered by Gazprom is profitable, the payment terms are good. We have some problems to solve with debts, audits," he said in a program on the RLive television channel on Thursday evening.

Ceban said he does not yet know whether the natural gas tariff will be raised, noting that "everything depends on the gas market."

"We have attained a tariff increase. The National Energy Regulatory Agency's decision took effect on October 1. This tariff fully covers our costs and the price of gas. We hope that there will be no major shocks in the natural gas market. But it is very unpredictable what kind of market it will be," the head of the company said.

Speaking of the volumes of gas supplies to Moldova in October, he said that even if they are cut by 30%, there will not be any shortage of gas amid the persistent warm weather and the saving of heat energy.

As for the following periods, Ceban said, "We are working on ensuring the required volumes for November as well, because the heating season is to start. We are taking care of the payment for current consumption, those payments that are stipulated in the contract. We are working together with the government and Gazprom to fulfill these obligations and then to set the required volumes for November so that the country is supplied with energy resources."

As reported, since October 1, Gazprom has cut the daily volume of gas supplies to Moldova by 30% to 5.7 million cubic meters per day with the daily needs of 8.06 million. Gazprom explained the decrease by technical problems caused by restriction of gas transit via Ukraine.

Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu said that in this situation, Moldovagaz will ask Gazprom to supply additional gas volumes, and if the latter fails to respond to the request, Moldovagaz will try to buy some gas from alternative sources, including from Romania.

Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said that his country could supply Moldova with up to 5 million cubic meters of gas per day.