Moldovagaz CEO says reduction of gas supply to Transdniestria reasonable amid smaller gas supply by Gazprom

CHISINAU. Nov 24 (Interfax) - A reduction of the gas supply to Transdniestria is reasonable, considering that Gazprom has practically halved its gas supplies to Moldova, Moldovagaz CEO Vadim Ceban said on Telegram on Thursday.

He made the statement after Tiraspol accused Chisinau of "taking gas destined for the Transdniestrian region."

As Gazprom cut gas supply on October 1, Tiraspoltransgaz proposed that 119 million cubic meters of gas out of 171 million cubic meters supplied by Russia go to Transdniestria, while the rest of Moldova gets only 52 million cubic meters of gas, Ceban said.

"Obviously, the plan aims at the 100% supply of natural gas and electricity to people on the eastern bank of the Dniester amid an acute energy deficit in the rest of Moldova's territory," he said.

Ceban described the plan as "discriminating against consumers on the western bank of the Dniester that pay Moldovagaz for the supplied natural gas on a regular basis and in due time, and meet the request of the republic's central government to be economical because of the energy deficit."

Moldovagaz on the western bank of the Dniester has paid 100% for Gazprom's deliveries this year, while payments by LLC Tiraspoltransgaz stand at only 0.05%, Ceban said. End users on the western bank pay 29.27 lei for a cubic meter of gas, compared to 0.99-1.37 lei paid on the eastern bank. There are 770,000 households and 15,500 other gas consumers on the western bank, as against 206,000 households and 2,500 other gas consumers on the eastern bank, he said.

Ceban also noted the refusal of the Moldovan GRES power plant to generate electricity for the western bank of the Dniester in direct proportion to the 51% cuts in gas supply by Gazprom (which led to the electricity purchases in Europe at high prices). In addition, a number of thermal power plants and other energy-intensive enterprises have switched to alternative fuels on the western bank, while enterprises continued to run on gas in Transdniestria, he said.

Earlier this week, the authorities of the unrecognized Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic complained to the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) about the actions of the Moldovan leadership. It said that the actions of Moldova "have created an energy crisis fraught with a humanitarian catastrophe in Transdniestria."

An economic state of emergency was declared in Transdniestria between October 20 and December 1. Moldova Steel Works and some other energy-intensive enterprises suspended operation, trolleybus service was limited, and hot water supply was cut to three hours per day in the region. The Transdniestrian Security Council said, "Moldova had flagrantly breached the agreement between Moldovagaz and Gazprom, which assigned 118 cubic meters of gas out of 171 million cubic meters supplied to Moldova for Transdniestria."

While commenting on the statements by Tiraspol on November 22, Ceban told reporters that the agreement between Moldovagaz and Gazprom did not specify the amounts of gas to be supplied to the western and eastern banks of the Dniester. In his words, Transdniestria gets 40% of gas supplied to Moldova, while its population amounts to less than 20% of the Moldovan population.

Gazprom cut gas supply to Moldova to 5.7 million cubic meters per day on October 1. The supply meets 51% of the demand for November. It will decrease further in December when 43.5% of the demand will be met.