
The Energy Community Secretariat welcomed the significant progress in the unbundling of the gas operator of Moldova's gas transportation system.
As noted in its communication, in particular, significant progress has been made in the unbundling of Moldova's gas transportation system in recent weeks. Thus, on September 12, Moldova's national regulator, ANRE, approved the lease agreement between Moldovatransgaz, the largest operator of the country's gas transportation system, and Vestmoldtransgaz. Unlike Vestmoldtransgaz, Moldovatransgaz has never been unbundled or certified. It is penalized by the Energy Community Secretariat for violating the Third Energy Package. Based on a 5-year lease agreement, Vestmoldtransgaz will manage the transmission networks owned by Moldovatransgaz and Moldovagaz. The mentioned ANRE decision to approve the lease contract follows the previous decision of the energy regulator on the preliminary designation and conditional certification of Vestmoldtransgaz as an independent system operator (ISO) responsible for national gas transmission operations, which will take effect from September 19. The final certification process for Vestmoldtransgaz under the ISO model is expected to be finalized in the coming months. The Energy Community Secretariat stated that it appreciates the inclusive dialog between all stakeholders in this process, namely the gas transmission system operators Vestmoldtransgaz and Moldovatransgaz, as well as their respective owners Transgaz România and Moldovagaz. It is emphasized that the active involvement of relevant bodies such as ANRE and the Energy Ministry was instrumental in reaching this important milestone. The Energy Community Secretariat actively supported companies and authorities in this process. The implementation of the Third Energy Package is a commitment of Moldova, which should have been fulfilled back in 2012. // 14.09.2023 - InfoMarket.