Gazprom still hasn't confirmed Nov gas supply volumes for Moldova - deputy PM

CHISINAU. Oct 26 (Interfax) - Gazprom has not yet confirmed the volume of gas supplies for Moldova in November, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Andrei Spinu said at a government meeting on Wednesday.

"Moldova still has not received from Gazprom confirmation of gas supply volumes in November, despite the fact that the Moldovan side has tried several times to get in touch in order to discuss this issue," Spinu said.

Moldova's state-owned Energocom is undertaking "enormous efforts" to replenish gas reserves, which currently sit at almost 90 million cubic meters, Spinu said. "New purchases are made every day in order to replenish reserves," Spinu said, noting that the same is happening with electricity purchases.

Moldova is currently receiving gas from Gazprom at a rate of $1,031 per thousand cubic meters. Gazprom has cut supplies of gas to Moldova 30% in October. The authorities in Transdniestria have said that gas supplies to the region could fall 40% in November.

Moldova consumes around 1.3 billion cubic meters of gas every year, not including Transdniestria.

Energocom purchased 10 mcm of gas at 997 euros per thousand cubic meters at an auction last week to be stored in Ukraine and used in case Gazprom stops supplies. Energocom did not say from whom the gas was purchased. Similar auctions will be held going forward, it said.

Moldova has until recently received 70% of all the electricity it needs from Moldovan GRES and the remaining 30% from Ukraine. However, supplies from Ukraine were ended following emergency conditions in its energy infrastructure, while Moldovan GRES is facing problems generating electricity in connections with a shortage of natural gas supplied to Moldova from Gazprom. Spinu said at the government meeting earlier that the output currently being generated by Moldovan GRES meets only 46% of the right bank's needs rather than the 70% it provided earlier.