The Republic of Moldova is facing an unprecedented energy crisis. Since the beginning of October, Gazprom has reduced deliveries by 30%, and since November by 40%, to 5.7 million cubic meters/day. The authorities considered several scenarios. It is about the total or partial suspension of deliveries, writes Bani.md.
Yesterday, the Minister of Infrastructure, Andrei Spînu, declared that Energocom bought, for the first time, gas through the reverse system, and the stored volumes amount to 157 million cubic meters.
An elementary calculation shows that the said quantity would last for approximately 1.5 months, given that annual consumption amounts to 1.2 billion cubic meters. However, the largest share is in the winter months, when the heating season begins. The biggest consumers are Termoelectrica and CET Nord.
In order to save gas consumption, the authorities switched Termoelectrica to fuel oil.
To deal with the gas crisis, the authorities contracted a 300 million euro loan from the EBRD, money intended for the purchase of methane. 100 million euros have already been spent.
Experts claim that in order to deal with the gas crisis, the Republic of Moldova needs methane reserves for at least three winter months.