No More Russian Gas: Moldova to Start Gas Imports from Turkey on October 1st
Starting from October 1, 2023, Moldova will commence gas imports from Turkey. The agreement to this effect has been signed by the Moldovan company East Gas Energy Trading and the Turkish oil and gas company BOTAȘ. The import volume will be 2 million cubic meters of gas per day, as reported by Newsmaker.
The respective agreement was signed by the CEOs of BOTAȘ and East Gas Energy Trading.
"BOTAȘ has added a new European country to the list of nations it exports natural gas to," emphasized the Turkish company.
"BOTAȘ and East Gas Energy Trading, a company that plays an active role in the region, including the Moldovan energy market, have entered into an agreement for the supply of BOTAȘ natural gas to Moldova," added the Turkish company, underscoring their plans to supply Moldova with 2 million cubic meters of gas per day, starting from October 1, 2023.
This volume will be sufficient to cover over half of Moldova's consumption, excluding Transnistria. However, the company has not disclosed gas prices.
According to Mold-Street, East Gas Energy Trading was registered in April 2020 and had not operated in the market before. It is led by Vitaliy Sheptefrats, who was previously a member of the administrative board of Moldovagaz.
East Gas Energy Trading has four founders: Mircea Maleca with a 30% stake, Vitaliy Sheptefrats owning 20% of the company, Ecer Invest managed by Adriana Popescu with a 20% share, and H Kapitalz founded by Maria Chebotar with a 30% ownership.
Sources suggest that Mircea Maleca and Maria Chebotar are also partners in the airline company Fly One and other enterprises.
Earlier this summer, Moldova imported liquefied gas from the United States, France, Nigeria, and Latvia for the first time and announced a complete refusal of Russian gas. Romania is the main supplier of liquefied gas, accounting for 66.5%, a significant increase compared to the first quarter of 2022 when the share was 39.5%, and Kazakhstan was the main supplier (41.6%).
After Chișinău refused to purchase Russian gas, Gazprom presented Moldova with colossal invoices for fabricated "debts" of around $10 billion. The Moldovan government requested an audit of these "invoices," after which it was revealed that Russia had simply invented these debts.