Moldova will begin gas imports from Romania via the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline on August 27, which will initially allow the republic to cover 5 -10 percent of its yearly gas needs.
At first, Romanian gas will be delivered to consumers in the city of
Ungheni, Moldovan Economics Minister Valeriu Lazar said. “Soon the
government will consider projects for the transportation of Romanian gas
from Ungheni to Chisinau,” he said.
The deputy economics minister, Tudor Kopac, told journalists that the
republic’s total demand for gas was 1.5 billion cubic meters a year,
and at the initial stage the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline could pump only
5-10 percent of that necessary volume.
“In order to meet all of demand, which is 1.5 bcm per year, the
Romanian pipeline system should be modernized to withstand the load.
That modernization [on the territory of Moldova] will cost approximately
50 million-60 million euro. The European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development and the European Investment Bank will allocate this,” Kopac
said.
Including the cost of the modernization of the gas pipeline in
Romania, the project’s cost will grow almost to 200 million euro, he
said.
Romania is currently extracting 11 bcm of gas per year, Alexandru
Sandulescu, the energy policy advisor to Romanian Prime Minister Victor
Ponta, told Interfax.
“In 2013 this covered 85 percent of our needs, and in 2014 we noted that we
would cover all of them. Before long, by 2018-2019, Romania will become a
gas exporter as it begins extracting hydrocarbons in the Black Sea. It
is completely realistic that in several years Romania will provide
Moldova with gas, making it independent from Russia,” Sandulescu said.
Speaking about the possible influence the gas conflict between
Ukraine and Russia might have on Moldova, Moldovan Economics Minister
Lazar said that Russia will not halt gas deliveries to Moldova. For the
provision of guarantees of the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine,
Chisinau needs to hold a dialogue with Kyiv, he said.
“Negotiations with the Ukrainian government need to be conducted now,
while it is summer and demand for gas is not so high as it is in
winter. Decisions for Ukraine technically have an influence on Moldova,
but I hope that it does not come to that, Lazar said.
