Moldova, Romania to sign gas supply contract on 22 December

Chisinau, 19 December /MOLDPRES/ - The Energocom state-owned company of Moldova today will initial a contract on reverse-flow gas supplies with a Romanian company, Acting Prime Minister, Economics Minister Adrian Candu has said at a news conferences.

„The agreement will be signed on Monday, 22 December,” Candu added, without specifying which company will deliver gas from Romania. The government has previously held talks with two Romanian companies. Romgaz and Petrom have announced that they would provide Moldova with gas by 20 per cent cheaper than the Russian one and that they had submitted an offer each to Energocom on gas supply via the Iasi – Ungheni gas pipeline.

Under the contract, due to enter into force on 1 January 2015, the gas supplies will be made at a price of 1,010 Romanian lei (227 dollars) per 1,000 cubic meters.

„The quantities will vary. We will begin with small quantities for testing. The 2015 will be the year to start an alternative gas source,” Candu said.

The construction and commissioning of the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline gave the consumers from the Ungheni area possibility of an alternative in terms of gas supply. About 14,000 cubic meters of gas per hour, i.e. 3 per cent of Moldova’s consumption, may be supplied via this pipeline.

Andrian Candu has previously said the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline would be extended to Chisinau in the next two years, in order to provide Chisinau with an alternative of gas supply.

The Iasi – Ungheni gas pipeline has a length of 43.2 kilometres, of which about 32 kilometres on Romania’s territory. The maximal capacity of the pipeline will be of 1.5 billion cubic meters annually, which is more than Moldova’s annual gas consumption.