Moldova, Gazprom extend gas supply contract by another year

Chisinau, 31 December /MOLDPRES/- An additional agreement to the contract on gas supply with Gazprom, providing for the accord's extension by another year, was signed on 30 December, according to a communiqué by the Economics Ministry.

Also, the sides signed an additional agreement to the contract on the conditions of gas' transiting across Moldova.

The formula of setting the gas prices for Moldovan consumers has not been changed for 2016. It is based on the arithmetic average of Gazprom gas selling price in the European countries and quotations of prices for petroleum products. The other contractual conditions on gas supply and transiting remain unchanged too.

The chairman of the parliamentary commission for economy, budget and finance, Stefan Creanga, has earlier said that “the gas price will not increase” in 2016. Moldova presently purchases gas from the Gazprom concern at a price of 204 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters, by 6 dollars less against the previous quarter.

The contract in force was signed in December 2006 and expired on 31 December 2011. Since then, the contract has been extended consecutively during the next years. The 2006 contract stipulated a gradual increase in the import price. As a result, the acquisition purchase price increased from 76.1 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters in 2005 to about 380 dollars in 2013.

Moscow makes the signing of a new agreement conditional upon Moldova giving up the documents signed within the European Energy Treaty and on settling the gas debt problem.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Raileanu)