Moldova contracts entire gas volume for heating season

CHISINAU. Nov 2 (Interfax) - The Moldovan state company Energocom has contracted the entire volume of natural gas needed for the 2026-2027 heating season, Moldovan Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu said.

"In the natural gas sector, the company Energocom has fully concluded contracts for the planned volumes for the period from October 2026 to March 2027. Guaranteed reserves of 56.3 million cubic meters have been fully formed and are stored in Romania and Ukraine. At the same time, the company Moldovagaz, appointed as the supplier for Transdniestria, has reported the formation of gas storage obligations for the entire cold season," Junghietu said on Monday at a meeting of the government commission on preparations for the heating season, as quoted by the press service of the Moldovan Energy Ministry.

"By the end of 2026, firm contracts for electricity supply at fixed prices may cover up to 50% of import needs," the press service said.

In the electricity sector, construction of the 400 kV Vulcanesti-Chisinau power transmission line has been completed, the Energy Ministry also said. It will be commissioned after the necessary checks for putting the equipment at the Chisinau power plant into operation are completed.

Overall, out of 52 measures in the plan for preparations for the heating season, 27 have been fully completed, 21 have been partially completed, and another four measures are in the process of being implemented.

Moldova's annual gas consumption is 0.8-0.9 billion cubic meters. The country imports the entire volume of fuel, purchasing it on the TTF exchange in the Netherlands. In the autumn, Moldova faced a sharp rise in the cost of gas imports; for this reason, domestic gas tariffs rose 1.7-fold in September-October, and the country is also facing a sharp rise in the cost of imported petroleum products. A state of emergency in the energy sector has been in effect in Moldova since September 26. Against this backdrop, Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan announced a campaign to find stable long-term sources of natural gas supply under fixed-price contracts.