Moldovan gas company affirms on non – disruption of deliveries from Russia

Chisinau, 02 March /MOLDPRES/ – Joint stock company Moldovagaz issued a statement which assures that natural gas deliveries to Moldovan consumers will not be disturbed and be made fully, according to existing contract despite announcement of Gazprom to break contract with Naftogaz in Ukraine.

Moldovagaz signed contracts with Gazprom for supply and transit of natural gas through the territory of Moldova valid until the end of 2019. Also, "no notice from Gazprom has been received on a possible gas supply cut – off to Moldova or some changes in the existing contract," said Moldovagaz.

Similarly, the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure (MEI) informed that Moldovagaz has not received any notices from Gazprom on cessation of gas supplies to Moldova and transit of Russian gas to Balkan countries and Turkey.

"The gas supply system of Moldova and Transit through the Trans – Balkan corridor operate in a normal and safe regime," says the MEI’s info service.  

Interviewed by agency, economic expert, Victor Parlicov, commenting situation, said it was only an intention of Russian concern, which, even if natural gas ceases to Ukraine, has been obliged to follow its contractual commitments to other countries, including Moldova.

In fact, situation could be repeated as in January 2009, November 2013 and June 2014, when there were temporarily suspended gas supplies to Ukraine, or because there was no agreement on gas deliveries with Ukrainian company Naftogaz, or due to overdue debt for gas consumption, but supply of gas to Balkans continued. During mid – June crisis, Gazprom announced that it would continue to deliver to European consumers entire quantity of contracted natural gas and urged Ukrainian company Naftogaz to secure transit through Ukraine.

About 15 per cent of Europe’s natural gas comes from Russia through Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, told TASS today that the contract between Gazprom and Naftogaz did not stipulate its unilateral termination.

Earlier, Alexei Miller, chairman of the board of directors of Russian holding, said that Gazprom was immediately forced to begin the procedure to terminate contracts with Naftogaz on supply and transit of gas in Stockholm Arbitration, after leading it double standards, approved an asymmetric decision on contracts for supply and transit of gas through Ukraine.

The Stockholm Arbitration Court took a decision in favour of the Ukrainian company Naftogaz, which forced Gazprom to pay $4.63 billion in damages for failing to comply with terms of contract and delivering less gas through Ukrainian pipeline than a year was stipulated in the contract, but also paid a too low price for gas transit through pipes in the territory of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian company announced that after finding 20 – 23 per cent reduction in pressure in gas pipelines at entrance to the gas system in Ukraine in the morning of 02 March, reported to European Commission monitoring mission that actions of Gazprom within recent days posed significant risks to ensuring uninterrupted gas transport for European consumers.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)