SA “Moldovagaz” noted that the gas transmission system operators of Ukraine and Moldova always ensured the natural gas amounts indicated in the nominalizations it confirms are accurately distributed. This is confirmed by the monthly commercial documents signed between “Moldovagaz” and “Gazprom” and between the transmission system operators of Ukraine and Moldova, IPN reports.
Starting with 2021, SA “Moldovagaz” and SAP “Gazprom” have determined the amount of natural gas supplied to Chisinau in accordance with the interoperability agreement between the two companies concerning the execution of the contracts for the supply of natural gas to consumers in Moldova. Under the agreement, the volume of natural gas is determined by the daily nominalizations of SA “Moldovagaz”, which are transmitted to the supplier and are confirmed by this and by the gas transmission system operators of Ukraine and Moldova. The nominalizations transmitted by SA “Moldovagaz” should not be higher than the average daily value of the monthly amount that is to be supplied to the country in accordance with the contract.
“It should be noted that the transmission system operators of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova signed an agreement of interconnection at the interconnection points (IP) “Alexeevka” and “Grebenniky” in accordance with the provisions of the Codes of gas transport system that are in force in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The interconnection agreement envisions procedures for regulating all the crossborder operations to meter and manager physical flows for the transportation of natural gas to different directions, including simultaneously and in opposite direction to the basic physical flow, and maintaining of an Operational Balancing Account (OBA), which records the difference between the nominalizations of system users and the metered gas amounts. The value of this difference is determined by the demand from natural gas consumers and in the cold period of the year depends particularly on the weather conditions,” says a press release issued by the company.
In the first half of November, the difference between the nominalized and metered gas amounts shown in the OBA was significant as the average external temperature was above the meteorological norm typical for this period of the year. This led to a delayed start of the heating season. Consequently, given that SA “Moldovagaz” was unable to store the amount of gas that wasn’t used by the country’s consumers in the first half of November, while the refusal of these amounts when the gas supplies from SAP “Gazprom” were reduced to 51% of the amount stipulated in the contract would mean the creation of a shortage that cannot be covered in the second half of November, a particular volume of gas remained for a period in the networks of the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine, being shown in the OBA of IP “Alexeevka” and “Grebeniky”.
On Tuesday, Gazprom announced that a part of the natural gas it supplies to the Republic of Moldova in accordance with the contract signed with SA Moldovagaz remains in Ukraine. It noted that if an imbalance in the transit of gas via Ukraine for Moldovan consumers is maintained, on November 28 it will start to reduce the amount of gas supplied to the Sudja gas metering station. In a press release, the company said that 52.52 million cubic meters of the gas intended for Moldovan consumers has been stored on Ukraine’s territory so far.