There are no preconditions for a humanitarian crisis on the left side of the Nistru River, said Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu. According to him, the Transnistrian region has crude oil and coal reserves for the situation in which Gazprom will fully stops the supplies of natural gas. The leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity said that if the Kuchurgan power plant reduces the electric power production capacities, Chisinau will purchase electricity from the European market, IPN reports.
The Speaker considers experts’ warnings that a humanitarian crisis can arise in the Transnistrian region are exaggerated. The official assured that the authorities will be making effort for the region to be supplied with natural gas.
“The left side has coal and crude oil reserves. The industry is already affected as the production capacities of the industrial giants thee were limited and this will have an impact on the citizens working there. But we cannot speak about a humanitarian crisis. We must do our best to prevent such a development. The Kuchurgan power plant can generate electricity based on coal as well. In accordance with the technical procedures, it is obliged to have reserves for several months. In the case of the gloomiest scenario, we will import electricity from elsewhere. We are part of the European electricity network and we can therefore buy from other markets,” Igor Grosu stated in the program “Reflection Points” on Vocea Basarabiei TV channel.
According to the official, if Gazprom halts the supplies of gas, the citizens from the left side of the Nistru will be obliged to pay the same price as that paid by the citizens from the right side for the gas purchased from the international market.
“Those from the left side of the Nistru should learn to pay. They haven’t done this during 30 years. They should make effort, as the citizens from the right side of the Nistru do, and should avoid accumulating debts of US$8 billion. We will do our utmost to provide the country with electivity, heat and gas. Our request to the people is to economize as it goes to our money. There are alternatives but the price of these resources is a problem,” stated the official.
Earlier, economic expert Veaceaslav Ioniță said the citizens from the Transnistrian region pay 1.28 lei per cubic meter of gas. The gas rate for the citizens from the right side of the Nistru is 29.26 lei.