A city committee will examine the created situation concerning the Tocuz-Cainari-Mereni gas pipe

The Chisinau City Committee has decided on Thursday, July 2, to create a special committee of 6 members to examine the created situation concerning the Tocuz-Cainari-Mereni gas pipe. According to the information presented by Chisinau Mayor General Dorin Chirtoaca, the construction of the gas pipe was carried out with some violations; the contractor was assigned by a government decision, instead of a public tender, as the present norms require. Chirtoaca states that the Ministry of Finance has currently paid only 130 mln MDL from the expected 202 mln to be spent on the construction. The mayor signals worries that once the gas pipe is administered by the city, the local authorities will inherit a debt of 70 mln MDL. “For the gas pipe to begin running, it is necessary to pay the whole cost of the construction. And it would be best to do this until the heating season starts, in order not to endanger the energy security of the city”, says Chirtoaca. The committee is going to examine the situation and to suggest solutions for resolving it. The Tocuz-Cainari-Mereni gas pipe is 62.5 km long and has a transport capacity of 800 mln cubic meters per year.