Moldova is interested in becoming an important gas transit project, the volumes of which will increase in the southern part of Europe due to new production in Romania and doubling of its exports from Azerbaijan.
State Secretary of the Moldovan Ministry of Energy, Constantin Borosan, stated this while speaking at the Romanian International Gas Conference (RIGC), in which he participated at the invitation of the Romanian Ministry of Energy. During the discussions on regional energy security, he spoke about the energy crises that our country faced in 2021-2022, caused by the reduction of natural gas supplies by Gazprom and a significant increase in gas prices at the European level and in the world, including due to the creation of artificial gas shortages. Constantin Borosan thanked Romania for being the first country to come to Moldova's aid. He mentioned three key elements that, in Moldova's situation, contributed to the efficient management of energy crises - the existing energy infrastructure, solidarity and communication. The state secretary of the Moldovan Energy Ministry noted that the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau interconnector between Moldova and Romania was put into operation exactly 1 day before the gas crisis, emphasizing that international conferences such as RIGC provide a good platform to establish relations with reliable partners. "Now, at the beginning of the heating season, we are more prepared for winter than ever: we have stocked more than 600 million cubic meters of gas stored both in Romania and Ukraine, and according to the Winter Preparation Plan, we expect to consume energy efficiently and, like the European Union, we will voluntarily reduce consumption by at least 15%," Constantin Borosan said. He noted that since September 2023, Moldova's national gas transportation system will be independently and transparently managed by Vestmoldtransgaz, which means the completion of the implementation of the III Energy Package in Moldova. In the summer of this year, Moldova has seen an increased interest in the Trans-Balkan natural gas transportation route from Southern Europe to storage facilities in Ukraine, passing through our country. This route has great potential for ensuring energy security in Central and Eastern Europe. The State Secretary of the Energy Ministry emphasized that Moldova has asked the countries on this route - Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine - to jointly undertake the necessary actions to fully exploit this existing infrastructure, which will play an important role for the region's energy security, especially after the completion of the natural gas transit contract between Ukraine and Russia at the end of next year. "Starting in 2027 and 2028, natural gas supplies in southern Europe will increase through new production in Romania from the Neptun Deep project in the Black Sea and by doubling exports to Europe of gas produced in Azerbaijan from the Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea. We are interested to be part of these grand and important projects for Europe's energy security. Energocom has gained valuable experience in international natural gas markets in a short period of time and is already very well known in Europe. This experience proves that we are serious and reliable partners," said Constantin Borosan. // 13.11.2023 – InfoMarket
