The amounts of gas provided by Chisinau to the Transnistrian region are enough to produce electricity for the right bank and even offer a comfort of 100 million cubic meters of gas for own consumption, said energy expert Victor Parlicov. According to him, the Moldovan authorities behaved too generously towards Tiraspol, offering the whole amount of gas received from Gazprom at a time when the people living on the right side make considerable effort to economize, IPN reports.
On December 3, SA Energocom signed a contract for the supply of electricity with MGRES (Kuchurgan power plant) for December. It was also agreed to extend the contract for January-March 2023. This way, Chisinau in December will buy 204,000 MW at the price of US$73 from MGRES. Instead, Moldovagaz offers the left side of the Nistru the whole amount of 5.7 million m3 of gas delivered by Gazprom. Victor Parlicov said the Moldovan constitutional authorities were too generous by accepting such a bargain.
“By offering all the 5.7 million cubic meters of gas a day to the Transnistrian region, we offer a total of 175 million cubic meters of gas to them for December alone. Instead of this gas, they pledged to deliver 200 MW of electricity to us, but they would use at most 65 million cubic meters of gas to generate electricity. This means that 100 million cubic meters of gas will remain to the Transnistrian region. For comparison, in a year when they do not economize, they need 120 million cubic meters of gas. Now that we offer them all the amounts, we ask for only 200 MW of electricity instead. We created to them a comfort of 100 million cubic meters of gas for own consumption. This is rather generous. As the citizens of the Republic of Moldova economize, Chisinau offered more comfort to the Transnistrian region than to the citizens from the right side, as regards gas consumption,” Victor Parlicov stated in an interview with Radio Moldova.
He noted that the situation when Chisinau offers gas to the Transnistrians region and Tiraspol does not pay for this, but sells electricity made using this gas is not new. The transaction offers the separatist region the possibility of surviving financially.
“For the gas purchased from Gazprom, Moldovagaz needs to pay US$785 per 1 000 m3, but nothing is paid if this gas goes to the left side. It’s clear that they will not pay. They never paid and will not start to pay in December. I don’t understand why the people make such a fuss now. It has been so for years. Starting with 2005, the left said hasn’t paid anything for gas and electricity from the left side was sometimes bought at good prices, while sometimes at not so good prices. Debts will accumulate exactly there were there are now US$8 billion,” explained Victor Parlicov.
Even if he was seriously criticized for the agreement with the separatist Transnistrian region, Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spînu said the signing of the contract with MGRES is a reasonable way out of the situation, which brings stability, predictability and a better price for electricity. By the decision taken by the Commission for Exceptional Situations on December 5, the distributors Premier Energy and FEE Nord were obliged to request the National Agency for Energy Regulation to review the electricity rates down. The rates are to be decreased by an estimated 25%.
