Moldova contracts 360 mcm of gas for heating season

CHISINAU. Aug 13 (Interfax) - Moldova's Energocom has concluded contracts for importing around 360 million cubic meters of gas during the heating season, the state company said.

"The full amount of natural gas required to cover the forecasted consumption for the heating season (October 2026 - March 2027) has been purchased in the amount of 3.83 million MWh [more than 360 mcm of gas in equivalent]. The contracted amount will be delivered during the winter period, which will ensure the forecasted demand during the cold season," the company said.

Energocom also said that in total it has contracted around 76% of the total amount of natural gas required to cover consumption in the 2026-2027 gas year (from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027). It was previously reported that annual consumption in right-bank Moldova is around 0.9 billion cubic meters.

Energocom held 24 tenders for gas procurement, in which 11 companies from Romania, Austria, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Malta, Germany, and Greece participated. Twenty-three tenders were successfully completed. "To ensure transparency and fairness of the procurement process, representatives of the Energy Ministry, the State Property Agency, the Prime Minister's Office and the Intelligence and Security Service, as well as civil society representatives, were invited to and participated in all tenders," the company said.

In addition, the company plans to complete the procurement of a gas reserve in the amount of 15% of the total forecasted amount for the gas year, or 134.5 mcm of natural gas, by November 1. "Part of this amount has already been secured, and the gas will be stored in neighboring countries that have storage facilities," the company said.

The gas contracts were concluded using forward products, which makes it possible to guarantee the required amounts for the months of consumption, the company said. At the same time, the final delivery price is not set at the time of signing the contract, but is calculated subsequently according to a formula indexed to the TTF Front Month index for the following month of delivery.