Moldova will receive 80% of the requested gas volumes within the framework of joint EU purchases.
This was announced by Vice-President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič, summing up the results of the first tender for joint purchases of gas at the EU level within the Energy Platform, which, according to him, was successful. “Reliable international suppliers have responded to our combined demand of 11.6 billion cubic meters of gas with proposals for the supply of a total volume of more than 13.4 billion cubic meters. This is nothing short of an outstanding success. This shows that we have been right in bringing our needs together, using Europe's collective gravity and working together to fill our gas storage by next winter” said Maroš Šefčovič. He thanked all 25 suppliers who submitted their proposals, which exceeded the collective demand of the EU. The Vice-President of the European Commission said that the most attractive of the proposals have already been discussed with customers, as a result of which volumes of 10.9 billion cubic meters have been agreed. Of this volume, Liquefied natural gas (LNG) makes up more than 20%, and the remaining almost 80% is pipeline gas. Applications cover 18 of the 21 virtual pipeline gas trading points and both North and South virtual LNG points. Maroš Šefčovič said that the volumes of gas requested by Bulgaria were fully met. For Ukraine and Moldova, 100% and 80% of the requested volumes were agreed, respectively. “AggregateEU has become a dynamic new market for gas buyers and sellers in Europe, designed to strengthen our energy security as we phase out Russian gas and meet the needs of market operators in Europe,” said the Vice President of the European Commission. According to him, today more than 110 companies are subscribed to the AggregateEU mechanism, and more companies are signing up every day. These companies cover all regions of the EU as well as some countries of the Energy Community and represent all types of gas operators and industrial gas consumers. As Maroš Šefčovič noted, all participants will be informed about the results of the tender. Buyers and sellers will now begin negotiations on gas contracts. The EU is not involved in these commercial negotiations. According to him, in the second half of June, the EU plans to launch the second round of bidding and tendering, and 3 more rounds are planned before the end of this year. “Meanwhile, my team and I will continue to work with international gas suppliers to bring in more of them for future rounds. I believe this is an opportunity for them to expand their customer base. And it's a win-win for all parties. Next week, I will host a virtual Governing Council, which will include high-level representatives of Member States, as well as Energy Community countries, where we will discuss these results and our next steps,” said Maroš Šefčovič. The EU has developed a joint gas purchase scheme to help fill gas storage before winter and avoid a repeat of record high energy prices and fears of energy shortages in Europe last year after Russia cut gas supplies. // 16.05.2023 — InfoMarket.
