The Cabinet approved the bill by which the construction of the Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline is declared public utility work. This means that the state will buy the plots through which the pipeline will go from owners. These plots were valued at €600,000, IPN reports.

The gas pipeline will be 120 km long and will cross the following villages: Radenii Vechi, Todiresti, Parlita, Tuzara, Pitusca, Niscani, Temeleuti, Peticeni, Valcinet, Sadova, and Calarasi. This will also go through the outskirts of the communes Tohatin, Stauceni, Gratiesti and Ghidighici of Chisinau municipality.

The purchase of the land was entrusted to the Ministry of Economy.

The construction of the Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline is the second stage of the project “Pipeline for interconnecting the natural gas transportation system of Romania with the gas transportation system of the Republic of Moldova”. At the first stage, the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline was built and put into operation.

Prime Minister Pavel Filip said the works on the Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline will start soon and will end in 2018. The pipeline is to be put in commission in 2019, but the works could be hastened following the European Commission’s recent decision to increase the grant provided to Moldova for the purpose from €10 to €40 million.

According to the feasibility study, the cost of the gas pipeline is of €85 million. The rest of the money will be borrowed from the EIB and EBRD.