JSC Energocom published data on 55 natural gas purchases made between May 23, 2022 and January 19, 2023.
According to the information provided, during this time the state-owned company purchased about 600 million cubic meters of gas at a weighted average price of 88.21 euros/MWh (928 euros or $1,024.65 per 1,024.65 cubic meters). A total of 55 transactions were concluded (companies' data are not presented in the information), of which 12 were based on the decisions of the Commission for Emergency Situations, and the remaining purchases were made under the project financed by the EBRD. Energocom currently owns approximately 150 million cubic meters of gas acquired through these purchases. Viсtor Binzari, Acting Director of Energocom, explained that under the EBRD loan, almost all organized rounds of procurement took place with the participation of representatives of the ISS, the Service for Preventing and Combating Money Laundering, civil society representatives were invited, and those who wished to follow the process had the opportunity to do so. He noted that this was the first year when Energocom made gas deals, including using the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline, the trans-Balkan route in reverse mode and the connecting direction between Greece and Bulgaria, and external partners today praise Moldova for this progress. Binzari believes that it is now easy to say whether Moldova needed a certain amount of gas in November last year and how appropriate the price was. “Analysis of the last summer, when all of Europe was trying to stop supplies from Gazprom, showed that under normal conditions it is necessary to build up stocks of at least 30% of the required volume of consumption, in addition to the current consumption during the winter months. This means that it took about 800 million cubic meters, of which about 300 million cubic meters should have been reserves,” added Victor Banzari. At the same time, excess gas purchases are also explained by higher temperatures last winter compared to other years. Binzari also said that at present the company does not purchase gas, but only analyzes offers on the market in order to make a decision on gas purchases for the next season. The information published by Energocom is available at the link: https://bit.ly/44vywrv // 05.05.2023 - InfoMarket
