From May 1, Moldovagaz will return to the normal gas purchasing regime and will be able to purchase it from Gazprom or on the free market.
This is stated in a letter from Moldovagaz, which the company sent to the National Agency for Energy Regulation describing possible scenarios for the development of events in the gas market of Moldova, starting from May 1. It should be noted that, according to the previously adopted decision of the Commission for Emergency Situations, until the end of April Moldovagaz purchases of natural gas from the state-owned company Energocom, and after that it will return to the normal mode of gas purchases within the framework of current legislation. As indicated in the letter from Moldovagaz, as a result, from May 1, Moldovagaz will be able to cover part of the consumption of natural gas in May-September 2024 by purchasing it from Gazprom, and the other part by purchasing gas on competitive terms, choosing supplier, in order to balance the minimum cost of purchased gas and provide consumers with natural gas in conditions of accessibility, availability, reliability, continuity, quality and transparency. Earlier, Energy Minister Victor Parlicov noted that Moldovagaz will begin purchasing gas from May on the exchange in Moldova under monthly contracts from those who offer the best price for it. For now, a mechanism for purchasing gas on the exchange on the terms of monthly contracts will be introduced, and a comparison will be made with the prices offered by Gazprom, and then it is planned to switch to longer contracts, especially when purchasing gas in winter. It is planned that the operation of the natural gas trading platform in Moldova will provide all economic operators in this area with the opportunity to buy and trade natural gas, ensuring transparency of procurement, correct prices, as well as the stable operation of the wholesale natural gas market in Moldova. Currently, the price of gas from Gazprom is calculated using a special formula that takes into account two components, in particular, the cost of a basket of petroleum products (gas oil and fuel oil) and the value of one of the stock exchange indices (TTF front month) in different proportions. In particular, in the first and fourth quarters of each year, 70% of the gas price for Moldova depends on the cost of goods in the oil basket (gas oil and fuel oil), and 30% depends on spot gas prices on the exchange, and in the second and third quarters - from April until September - the reverse formula is used, and the cost of gas consists of 70% of the average monthly gas price for the previous month and 30% of the price of the oil basket. It was previously reported that the purchase price of gas supplied by Gazprom to Moldova in April 2024, compared to the previous month, decreased by $12.48, or 3.7% - to $327.27 per 1 thousand cubic meters. At the same time, Energocom acquired more than 30 million cubic meters of gas at an auction organized on April 4 at a price lower than that offered by Gazprom for Moldovagaz. It was below $300 per 1 thousand cubic meters. Earlier, the Romanian Commodity Exchange, through its company in Chisinau BRM EAST ENERGY, announced the successful launch of the first OTC/RETAIL electronic platform intended for the purchase of natural gas by non-domestic consumers in Moldova. Using this tool, any non-residential consumer can secure the purchase of natural gas through an electronic auction in which all natural gas suppliers registered on the trading platform can participate.// 09.04.2024 – InfoMarket
