A number of 150 settlements will be gasified this year at an estimated cost of 43.6 million lei. Out of these, 100 communities will be gasified from public money, while the rest from the investments of the joint Moldovan-Russian company Moldovagaz, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Tutor Copaci, 863 settlements or 56% of the total number had been gasified by January 1, 2008. The rise in the number of consumers necessitates the construction of new main gas pipelines. The high pressure gas pipeline Balti – Ungheni is planned to be built during 2008- 2009. It will be 126 kilometers and will enable to gasify the settlements in four districts: Telenesti, Sangerei, Falesti, and Ungheni. Investments of 270 million lei will be needed to build the pipeline. Seven kilometers of pipeline have been already built. Owing to scarce resources, only 136 settlements of the 185 planned had been gasified in 2007, while in 2006, only 113 of 188. It will be difficult for the present government to achieve the objective to gasify the whole country by yearend 2009. The gas pipelines build from different resources are now being inventoried. Their assets will be later transferred to SA Moldovagaz for administration. The given assets are assessed at 1 billion lei. Talks have been carried out with Gazprom, which is the major shareholder of Moldovagaz, over participation in Moldova’s gasification with its own resources. This will allow the Russian gas company to keep the 50% holding that it now owns in SA Moldovagaz. National investors and local private individuals could also make investments in the gasification. The national gasification program was approved by the Government in 2002.