Moldovagaz is ready to buy gas to Transnistria for lei, Tiraspol is waiting for Russia's help

Moldovagaz is ready to purchase gas for Transnistria at market prices "subject to payment of supplies in Moldovan lei." This was stated by the head of the company Vadim Cheban after the statement of the President of the PMR Vadim Krasnoselsky that Tiraspoltransgaz cannot purchase energy resources on the foreign market due to the "closure of accounts."

Cheban explained that the issue of gas purchase by Tiraspol is not related to foreign exchange transactions. The problem is obtaining a supply license, which the Transnistrian company cannot do.

"From November 2021 to May 2022, Tiraspoltransgaz has already paid for the transportation of additional volumes of gas through Moldovagaz. It is possible and necessary to pay for the purchase of gas in Moldovan lei, and Tiraspoltransgaz has experience," Cheban recalled, adding that even those 5.7 million cubic meters of gas supplied by the Russian side until recently were also supplied to Transnistria through the Moldovan gas distribution company.

Earlier, Chisinau had already offered Transnistria assistance with gas purchases at market prices in the EU, but in Tiraspol refused, in the hope of resuming supplies from Russia. On January 1, they were terminated due to the fact that Ukraine blocked the transit to Gazprom, and Chisinau refused to fulfill the debt obligations of the current contract to the Russian concern.

As a result, Transnistria was on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. Unlike Moldova, which has its own gas reserves and the possibility of purchasing electricity in Romania, Tiraspol is forced to survive on domestic resources. In the republic, gas supply to the private sector is turned off, there is no heat and hot water supply, electricity is turned off for 5 hours a day. There is a state of emergency in the economy. Many industrial enterprises have stopped, tens of thousands of jobs may be lost in the coming month. People are dying because of fires and carbon monoxide poisoning, trying to warm up. The incidence of acute respiratory viral infections is increasing.

In the absence of a traditional gas delivery route to the region, there is a technical opportunity to solve this issue by using the Trans-Balkan corridor. However, this requires a political decision, which Tiraspol cannot influence. Transnistria has already asked for help from Russia and the international community.

According to local telegram channels, according to officially unconfirmed information, negotiations between Russia and Moldova are currently underway in Ankara. The meeting was allegedly initiated by Turkey, which assumed a mediating role in order to reduce tensions between Moscow and Chisinau and find a compromise on the gas issue that would suit both sides. At the same time, the authorities of the Republic of Moldova are under pressure from Brussels, where they demand a tougher stance from the Moldovan authorities.

It is expected that the situation will be resolved as early as next week, otherwise in Transnistria will have irreversible humanitarian consequences. Among the likely scenarios is the resumption of gas supplies to the region, but in a much smaller volume than before, which excludes the possibility of producing electricity for export to Moldova (previously, MoldGRES provided up to 90% of the right bank at an affordable price).