Very few alternative energy projects are implemented in the Transnistrian region owing to the absence of funds and because the region’s administration is not interested in such projects, associate expert of the Foreign Policy Association Alexandru Baltag said in a roundtable meeting, where there was presented the study “Development of common energy projects between both banks of the Nistru River,” IPN reports.
Alexandru Baltag said the constitutional authorities must inform the population from the left bank of the Nistru about the opportunities offered by the Energy Efficiency Agency and the Energy Efficiency Fund for implementing such projects.
The expert referred also to the traditional energy resources, saying both of the banks of the Nistru are dependant on Russian natural gas. Though Tiraspol negotiated with Russia’s Gazprom a contract similar to that of Chisinau, the gas in the Transnistrian region is cheaper. Tiraspol has a debt of US$4 billion to the supplier because the money collected from the population for gas since 2006 was spent on the region’s needs.
The expert underlined that both Tiraspol and Chisinau have the same problems as regards the gas, including the old infrastructure and prices dictated from abroad. The projects that can be developed on both banks of the Nistru include the construction of a common underground gas store, participation in gas liquefaction programs, modernization of the gas infrastructure in concert, common metering and monitoring of the natural gas supply system all over the territory of Moldova.
As regards electric power, the right bank is about 70% dependent on imports, while the left bank is supplied with electricity by the Moldovan State District Electric Power Station and the Dubasari Hydroelectric Station. The first station was privatized in 2005 and forms part of a Russian group. It was officially registered in Chisinau by the National Agency for Energy Regulation, but its tariffs aren’t set by the Agency.
Alexandru Baltag considers that the two banks of the Nistru may develop common projects in the area of electricity supply. For the purpose, Moldova should strengthen its position of transit state for electric power, while the efficiency of the Moldovan State District Electric Power Station must be increased.
The author of the study said the constitutional authorities should develop projects to communicate with the people from the left bank so as to eliminate the political factor from the energy sector.
