MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd April, 2023) The purchase price of Russian gas for Moldova is expected to be $673 for 1,000 cubic meters in April, which is $339 less than $1,012 Chisinau paid in March, Vadim Ceban, the head of Moldova's national gas company Moldovagaz, said on Monday.
In February, Moldova purchased Russian gas for $1,054 per 1,000 cubic meters. In March, the price slightly decreased to $1,011 per 1,000 cubic meters.
"In April, the purchase price of natural gas delivered by the PJSC Gazprom to Moldova, given the calorific value, will be $673 for 1,000 cubic meters," Ceban said on Telegram.
Chisinau will use the entire volume of the imported gas to meet the needs of Tiraspoltransgas, the main gas supplier in the breakaway region of Transnistria, which hosts the Cuciurgan power station � Moldova's largest power plant, owned by Russian energy holding company Inter RAO, the Moldovagaz chief added.
Moldova is experiencing an acute energy crisis due to rising energy prices and soaring inflation. The government has introduced austerity measures, including restrictions on electricity consumption. Moldova was also forced to reduce domestic energy generation after it started receiving less Russian gas from Gazprom in October 2022. In December, Chisinau reopened its deal with the Cuciurgan power station, which had been suspended in November. In order to receive energy, Chisinau agreed to give Transnistria all the gas received from Russia in exchange for electricity.
In October 2021, Russian energy giant Gazprom agreed to extend the contract for gas supplies to Moldova, provided that the Moldovagaz debt was audited in 2022. Gazprom said that it had reserved the right to completely stop gas deliveries to the republic, due to the violation by Moldovagaz of payment obligations and deadlines for signing a debt settlement deal.
