Moldova to Provide Gas to Transnistria on Credit: Agreement Signed
Authorities in unrecognised Transnistria have signed an agreement with Moldovan company Moldovagaz to supply 3 million cubic metres of gas on a loan guaranteed by the European Union, NewsMaker reports.
Moldovagaz acting chairman Vadim Cheban said that on 29 January, his company signed an agreement with Tiraspoltransgaz. Under the terms of the contract, the Transnistrian company must return this volume of gas by 1 March or pay for it.
According to local media reports, taking into account rolling blackouts and night work of some enterprises, 3 million cubic metres of gas will meet the region's needs for 10 days.
This volume is needed to maintain pressure in the gas system on the left bank of the Dniester until gas supplies start under a grant from the European Union.
On 27 January, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said that the European Commission would allocate 30 million euros for the purchase of gas for Transnistria from 1 to 10 February. By this time, Tiraspol will receive 3 million cubic metres of gas to maintain pressure in the region's gas system.
According to him, this volume is a grant aid, but if Tiraspol does not agree to accept it, the gas can be returned as a debt or paid for.
On 16 December 2024, a state of emergency was declared in Moldova due to uncertainty over Russian gas supplies after 2025. Since the end of 2022, Gazprom has supplied Moldova with 5.7 million cubic metres of gas, all of which was sent to Transnistria. There, it was used for domestic needs and electricity generation at the Moldavian hydroelectric power plant, which supplied both banks of the Dniester.
From 1 January 2025, Gazprom stopped supplying natural gas to Moldova, explaining that it was due to Moldovagaz's debt. At the same time, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said that the country does not recognise any debts to Gazprom.
Following the cessation of Russian gas supplies on 1 January, central heating in residential buildings, budgetary institutions and organisations of all forms of ownership was cut off in Transnistria. On 2 January, industrial enterprises in the region stopped working due to a lack of energy resources, and on 3 January, rolling power cuts began.
The gas supplied by Gazprom was fully used for the needs of Transnistria.