Vladimir Voronin convenes Supreme Security Council to discuss energy security

Returning from leave, President Vladimir Voronin called the Supreme Security Council for a meeting to consider how to insure the country’s energy security, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a communiqué from the presidential press service. First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Trade Igor Dodon said that the reserves in the gas pipelines allow supplying the southern districts with gas. Despite the low gas stores in pipes, the central and northern Moldova are also provided with gas. Dodon also said that some of the Transnistrian settlements could remain without gas, but measures are being taken to solve the problems in the shortest period of time. Speaking about the steps taken to manage the crisis situation, Igor Dodon said that the thermoelectric plants that have been supplied with crude oil shifted to this fuel. He also said that the gas supplies to the companies that are not involved in production and have debts for gas have been reduced. According to Dodon, Moldova is provided with the necessary amount of electric power and there are no risks of disconnections. Ion Turcanu, the head of the Agency for Material Reserves, Public Acquisitions and Humanitarian Aid, said that there is enough crude oil, coal and diesel oil and they can be used as alternative fuel. The ministry and department heads assured that the social, medical and education institutions, the subdivisions of the National Army, the Border Guard Service, the penitentiaries and other state institutions are supplied with heat either through the centralized system of Termocom or using alternative resources. In this connection, the head of state stressed the necessity of strictly monitoring if the medical and social institutions are adequately supplied with heat. Special attention will be paid to the education establishments, especially the polyvalent and boarding schools, so that the classes are not suspended. The president ordered that the efforts be stepped up so as to remedy the problems concerning the provision of the Transnistrian medical and social institutions with alternative fuel, given that some of the settlements in the region remained without gas. Vladimir Voronin also demanded that appropriate conditions are created so that the economic entities work according to the normal schedules. He underlined the importance of insuring the security of all the subdivisions and property of SA Moldova-Gaz and the safe use of the gas equipment. The head of state also said that the Ministry of the Interior and the Forestry Agency “Moldsilva” should step up efforts so as to prevent the illegal cutting of trees, while the Department for Emergencies should take steps to prevent fires. He stressed the necessity of considering insuring the dwellings and patrimony against fires.