Moldova might stock gas reserves in Romania

Chisinau, 23 March /MOLDPRES/ - The government has approved a draft which regulates the stocking of natural gas for winter in reservoirs from neighbour countries. At a conference, Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Andrei Spinu said that this warehouse might be placed in Romania.     

Under the cabinet’s decision, Moldova will start stocking, for the first time ever, natural gas in summer for the next winter. ‘’Taking into account the situation in Ukraine, the only solution for stocking is Romania. Back since the last autumn, we have an agreement with the Romanian side on the support in the energy sector,’’ Spinu said.  

The minister noted that the stocks can be made in the already existing warehouses in the neighbor country; yet, the quantities due to be stocked depend on the procurement prices.  

The draft approved by the government obliges the providers to ensure the stocking of natural gas in a neighbor country, in a sufficient quantity for covering the gas consumption during two winter months. To prevent the manipulations on the natural gas market, the National Energy Regulatory Agency is to be given additional powers, under the law, as regards the carrying out of investigations and controls on the natural gas market and as concerns the sanctioning of the ill-intended participants on the natural gas market.