Moldovan government approves action plan on heating season

Chisinau, 2 Aug. /MOLDPRES/- At today's meeting, the government passed the Action Plan for 2023-2024 heating season. It takes into account three possible scenarios, the most pessimistic being the termination of the natural gas supply contract signed between Moldovagaz and Gazprom. Depending on each scenario, with or without limiting the supply of natural gas, measures are provided to reduce risks and ensure the uninterrupted supply of natural gas to consumers.

The first scenario analyzed by the authorities is that there will be no limitations of natural gas delivered by Gazprom to Moldovagaz. The second scenario aims at the continuation of natural gas supply by Gazprom at the level of 5.7 million m3/day, and the third is the termination by Gazprom of the natural gas supply contract signed with Moldovagaz.

"In the second scenario, there can be two situations: a) Moldovagaz decides to distribute the 5.7 million m3/day delivered by Gazprom between the right bank and the left bank in proportion to the share of the consumption recorded in 2021, without taking into account the volume of natural gas delivered to MGRES for the production of electricity intended for consumers on the right bank or b) Moldovagaz decides to allocate the 5.7 million m3/day delivered by Gazprom to consumers on the left bank of the Dniester, including for the purpose of producing electricity for consumers on the right bank", Minister of Energy Victor Parlicov said.

The official added that the scenarios are based on the experience of the energy crisis in the 2022-2023 heating season. "The main vulnerability in the next heating season is estimated to be the limited ability of Moldovan consumers to pay high energy prices, market prices in case of a new energy crisis," said Parlicov.

At the same time, the authorities propose to implement several measures to reduce the consumption of natural gas in the next heating season. Thus, the plan approved by the Government aims at the rational consumption of energy resources, the reconnection of public buildings to centralized heating systems, the operation of thermal power plants on alternative fuels, the use of gas stocks created by SA Energocom until the start of the cold season. The minimum margin of these stocks is to constitute 450 million m3 of gas by October 1.

In the case of Termoelectrica - the use of fuel oil as an alternative fuel in combination with gas, but not more than 50% of fuel oil. The combined use of natural gas - fuel oil will be applied depending on the developments in the prices of energy resources, the availability of energy resources and the impact on the vulnerability of consumers.

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