The Republic of Moldova cannot purchase and store large volumes of natural gas during periods when international prices are most favorable because of its limited storage capacity and available infrastructure, ANRE Director General Alexandru Ursu said, according to Bani.md.
“We don’t really have the possibility, as a country, to buy gas when I think it is cheap. Even if we knew that today it is the cheapest gas of the year, what would we do with that gas?” Ursu said.
One option being considered is storing gas in Ukraine, but the arrangement carries significant risks. Although reduced transit tariffs and special corridors are available for transporting and storing gas in Ukraine, international companies remain cautious and are reluctant to keep large volumes there, according to Ursu.
Another option would be using underground gas storage facilities in Romania, which have a combined capacity of around 3 billion cubic meters. Moldova’s annual gas consumption is approximately 900 million cubic meters.
However, Ursu questioned whether Romania could reserve roughly one-third of its total storage capacity exclusively for Moldova.
“Is Romania ready to give us one third dedicated to us? No,” the ANRE director said.
The fundamental problem, according to Ursu, is Moldova’s lack of significant domestic storage facilities and substantial domestic gas production.
“It is not that simple to store it. We have neither storage facilities nor natural gas sources,” he said.
As a result, even when international gas prices fall sharply, Moldova has limited ability to buy large volumes in advance and store them for future consumption. The country therefore remains dependent on storage capacity available in neighboring states and on the conditions for accessing that capacity.