Starting January 1, 2025, all large enterprises of Moldova will purchase natural gas only on the free market at negotiated prices.
And from January 1, 2027, the same provisions will apply to medium-sized enterprises. In addition, household consumers and state institutions will have the discretionary right to choose between the free market and the regulated market, while the state will ensure the availability of universal service providers and, as a last resort, for the security of gas supplies to household consumers. This was stated by State Secretary of the Energy Ministry, Constantin Borosan, during the discussion panel "Market reforms and market integration" on the margins of the Gas Business Forum, which was held for the first time in Chisinau. Constantin Borosan emphasized that the Energy Ministry has made an important step in the process of development and consolidation of the energy sector, as well as bringing the energy legislation in line with the EU standards. "The European energy system means diversity, competitiveness and choice. To create a free market, we need to start with the basics: the necessary infrastructure, strong institutions and the will to implement reforms. We have created all these components and now we have 8 alternative suppliers on the natural gas market, transparent transactions through the Romanian Commodity Exchange, gas reserves to ensure energy security. Undoubtedly, Moldova's gas market will continue to develop and the process of integration into the European energy space will continue," State Secretary of the Energy Ministry emphasized. Director of the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE), Alexei Taran, said that the energy crisis, which broke out along with the war in Ukraine, in practice accelerated the process of reforming the energy sector and liberalizing the natural gas market. "Thanks to the support of development partners, we have accelerated the implementation of the necessary reforms to liberalize the natural gas market. We developed the Natural Gas Networks Code, which created clear prerequisites for market activity, approved the trading platform of the Romanian Commodity Exchange, and adjusted the market penetration conditions. In cooperation with the authorities and suppliers, we continue to eliminate the existing gaps in the liberalization process, update the regulatory framework to make the process as efficient as possible," Alexei Taran said during the discussions. Head of the Gas Department of the Energy Community Secretariat Predrag Grujicic highlighted the progress made by the authorities in the development of the energy sector and reiterated the Energy Community's support in the process of gas market liberalization and the integration of Moldova and Ukraine into the European energy space. "The current government, after several years of passivity, has taken an important step in the energy sector reform process. The reforms carried out over the last 2 years have contributed to the security of the energy sector, as this is how the construction of a free market starts. Moldova can become an important player in the process of ensuring regional energy stability, and we will provide the necessary assistance in this process," Predrag Grujcic emphasized. The support for the reforms was also confirmed by the director of the USAID Moldova Energy Security Activity (MESA), Armen Arzumanyan. Arcadie Vicol, Vice President of the Association of Natural Gas Suppliers of Moldova, and Viorel Garaz, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization also participated in the discussions. The event was organized with the support of USAID, under the Moldova Energy Security Activity (MESA) and in partnership with BRM East Energy, a subsidiary of the Romanian Commodity Exchange, and Transgaz, and gathered more than 100 participants, including representatives of Moldovan and Romanian authorities, the Energy Community Secretariat, system operators and gas traders from Moldova and various countries in the region. // 17.05.2024 - InfoMarket.
