Over the past two years, the Republic of Moldova experienced the biggest energy shock. For example, the current heating season, the Moldovans consumed two times less gas than last year. The state in the period spent about US$500 million on the importation of gas at a price that was higher than the Europeans average and this was due to the dependence non one gas supply source and on the signing of contracts in a non-transparent way, said expert in economic policies of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul” Veaceslav Ioniță, IPN reports.

According to the expert, in the 2022-2023 heating season, Moldova consumed about 470 million cubic meters of natural gas, almost twice less than the average. Until 2005, Moldova paid US$80-90 million for the imported natural gas and the amount grew gradually, reaching about US$500 million for the period between the last quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. The sum is almost the same as a year before, but the Moldovans this winter consumed two times less gas.

“If the winter hadn’t been warm and we hadn’t economized on gas, we would have paid about US$900 million,” said the economist. He noted that until 2005 Moldova paid for gas less than the Europeans average, but the situation changed later. In 2022, Moldova paid about US$837 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas at a time when the European average was US$1,462.

Veaceslav Ioniță also said that the annual average in 2017-2022 showed that Moldova in some of the quarters paid for gas a price that was higher than the Europeans average, while in other quarters a lower price even if the average price was actually the same. “I think we must purchase 70% of the gas based on contracts, while 30% on the market so as to be more flexible.”

The economist noted that the average price of the gas bought by Moldova in the first quarter of 2023 is US$1,096, while the European price is about US$700.