Buying power from Cuchurgan will not affect Moldova’s accession to Energy Community, Tudor Copaci

No objections regarding the purchase of electric power from the Cuchurgan power plant were raised at the talks over Moldova’s accession to the Energy Community, said Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Tudor Copaci, Info-Prim Neo reports. “When making Moldova’s energy balance, we also take into account the production of electricity on the left bank of the Nistru, i.e. at the Cuchurgan power plant. We form part of the same energy system,” he said. Copaci said that the national electricity export-import operator Energocom has contractual relations with the Cuchurgan power plant that are fully observed and there are no problems concerning the supply of power to the right bank of the Nistru. The purchase price of power is 5.8 cents per kWh. “In a market economy, one buys from the economic entity that offers the most advantages conditions. These are also the rules of the European energy market promoted by the Energy Community. When we started to purchase power from Cuchurgan, Ukraine offered us lower prices, but the volumes offered were lower than we needed. Besides, they did not provide sufficient guarantees that the prices will remain stable in a predictable future,” Tudor Copaci said. “The contract signed with the Cuchurgan power plant is valid until the first quarter of 2010. It says that the price will rise by 0.1 cents quarterly. The contract we had with Ukraine envisioned a rise of 0.1 cents monthly. So, the contract with the Cuchurgan plant is more advantageous,” Copaci said. From January 1, 2009, the Cuchurgan power plant located on the left bank of the Nistru has supplied 250 million kWh of power a month to the right bank. The plant is owned by the Russian company Inter RAO UES.