● TUESDAY, January 6
State company receives gas transmission license
The energy regulatory agency ANRE has issued a license to the state company Vestmoldtransgaz authorizing it to transport natural gas through the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline which it operates. The license has been offered for a period of 25 years. Vestmoldtransgaz has become the second company in Moldova to hold a natural gas transmission license. Vestmoldtransgaz was incorporated by governmental decision in June 2014 to operate the Moldovan section of the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline and the gas measuring station, and to conduct repairs when needed.
● FRIDAY, January 9
Expert-Grup”: Economic growth factors in Transnistria in 2014 were temporary
The think tank “Expert-Grup” considers the economic growth factors in Transnistria in 2014 were temporary and will become weaker in 2015. The publication says that the first signs of recovery appeared after the downward trend of the start of 2013. But this trend followed the compensatory growth in the metallurgical and energy sectors of Transnistria and the resumption of work by the Metallurgical Plant as well as the improvement of the situation in the agricultural sector following the favorable weather conditions. As a result, the region’s foreign trade has essentially increased. Exports grew by 48%, while imports by 8.9%.
Budget deficit of 40% of public spending expected in Transnistria in 2015
The budget deficit of the Transnistrian region in 2015 is projected to represent 40% of the public spending. In the publication “Transnistrian Economic Reality”, the think tank “Expert-Grup” says the enormous budget deficit is a constant problem in the region, while the deterioration of the economic situation only intensified this constraint. The experts believe there is a kind of vicious circle as the chronic budget deficit affects the growth, while the economic difficulties, for their part, lead to a decline in public finances. “Expert-Grup” considers that the heating system is the most vulnerable in the region because its functioning cannot be now ensured based on other fuels than natural gas. Investments of over US$100 million are needed to ensure the switchover to other energy products. But the necessary budget recourses haven’t been identified. Therefore, the residential complex remains exposed to major risks.
