Moldova in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022, increased the import of energy resources and electricity in value terms by 22.2% - up to $654.63 million
These are the data of the country's balance of payments for 3 months of 2023 published by the National Bank of Moldova. According to the National Bank, in the emergency situation in Ukraine and as a result of the sanctions imposed on Russia, fuel prices in international markets continued to grow. According to the NBM, the growth of imports of energy resources and electricity in value terms in the first quarter of this year was mainly due to an increase in the cost of diesel fuel imports, which increased by 58.6% in the reporting period - from $154.22 million to $244.59 million due to rising prices, as well as an increase in the physical volume of diesel fuel imports (+53%). At the same time, imports of natural gas decreased in monetary terms over the same period by 28.4% - from $308.42 million to $220.78 million. Herewith, the physical volume of its supplies decreased by 2.2 times. This was due to the reorientation to alternative energy resources and new sources of gas imports, as well as more economical use of gas. Thus, in the first quarter of 2023, gas was supplied to Moldova by Slovakia, Greece and Romania, and these supplies accounted for 43.5% of the total gas imports. Meanwhile, deliveries of fuel oil increased by 34.2 times - from $1.84 million in the 1st quarter of 2022 to $62.86 million in the 1st quarter of 2023. The import of gasoline over the same period increased in monetary terms by 31.1 % - from $46.52 to $60.98 million against the backdrop of a 40% increase in its physical volumes of imports and a decrease in the purchase price. Import of electricity in January-March 2023 amounted to $13.24 million, while it was not in the same period of 2022. Import of coal increased by 58% - from $3.52 million to $5.56 million against the backdrop of growth prices, as well as an increase in the physical volume of imports (+17.7%). As follows from the information of the NBM, imports of energy resources under the "Other" section in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022, increased almost by 2.2 times - from $21.4 million to $46.62 million.// 03.06.2023 — InfoMarket.
