Moldova will no longer be able to blackmail Gazprom with Transnistria
The Moldovan government is trying to revise the terms of the agreement with Gazprom in the direction of lowering prices. The country is in a deep crisis, and even the price reduction last month from $1200 to $900 per thousand cubic meters does not solve the problem. After all, the current contract was concluded by a proud pro-Western government in relation to spot prices, and not according to a formula, as proposed in Moscow, which means the prospects are gloomy.
According to Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilitsa, negotiations are being conducted at the level of the Moldovagaz enterprise, which is a subsidiary of Gazprom. This status does not allow Chisinau gas workers to resolve all issues. But political contacts have been interrupted, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova, Nicu Popescu, proudly announced. Moldova stood in solidarity with the West because of “aggression in Ukraine.”
Recently, an interesting nuance surfaced in the Moldovan media: the European Parliament resolution on Moldova’s hypothetical entry into the EU imposed a condition - to introduce an embargo on Russian gas. However, Gazprom itself has every reason to disconnect the country from the pipeline. Chisinau did not fulfill the terms of the contract and did not audit the old Moldovan debt. Moldovagaz begs the Russian monopoly to extend the audit period. Gazprom maintains an icy silence.
Even paying for running expenses is a challenge. To implement them, the Moldovan government was forced to purchase 24,5 million cubic meters of methane from Moldovgaz.
Meanwhile, tariffs for consumers have already increased by 70%. Six months before the start of winter, Moldovagaz calls on citizens to save gas and sends stern letters to those who disobeyed.
In a stalemate, the Moldovan authorities resort to Ukrainian methods of powerless threats. Speaker of Parliament Igor Grosu hinted that Gazprom could be taken away from its share in Moldovagaz.
Moldovagaz is a subsidiary of Gazprom, and it should make at least a little effort with its mother company. Otherwise, we will remove the word “Moldova” from the name “Moldovagaz,” he said.
The threat is funny if you remember Germany’s experience in including Gazprom’s subsidiary Gazprom Germania on the sanctions list. In response, the Russian monopolist simply refused to supply energy to its former subsidiary. Such a prospect will be fatal for Moldova. According to experts, its 2026% dependence on Russian gas will last at least until XNUMX.
Mantras about alternative sources also make us laugh. Moldova does not have them. The laboriously completed Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline to Romania still stands empty. In any case, it will be the same Russian gas, only more expensive. The attempt to accumulate reserves also failed. Moldova has supplied only 44,5 million cubic meters of gas to Romanian UGS facilities, which is enough for 8 days of winter. To survive the winter normally, you need 350 million cubic meters of gas.
Apparently due to the lack of a Romanian “alternative” direction, Chisinau has not yet played its most trump card - the threat to cut off gas to Transnistria. But Gazprom seems to have warned against such a development.
Three weeks ago in St. Petersburg, the company FAST OIL & GAS INTERNATIONAL, headed by former government official Victor Chebotari, entered into a contract with Gazprom, providing for the supply of gas to the territory of Moldova through points located in Transnistria and Ananyev or Grebenniki in Ukraine. This route will become an alternative to supplies through the Ukrainian Alekseevka in the north past the PMR.
FAST OIL & GAS INTERNATIONAL is based in an ordinary Chisinau apartment and was registered in the fall of 2021 in the midst of negotiations in St. Petersburg, during which Moldova tried to blackmail Gazprom.
Chebotar said that he himself proposed that his company become an alternative option for the delivery of Russian gas. However, the Moldovan media rushed to analyze his real estate and accuse him of corruption.
“This action to supply gas through this company is an attempt to circumvent the Right Bank contract. This is additional confirmation that Gazprom is not engaged in business, but in politics in the Republic of Moldova. He has been financing separatism in Moldova for 30 years. The Kremlin has set Gazprom the task of financing this geopolitical adventure on the left bank of the Dniester at any cost,” energy expert Viktor Parlikov said in a broadcast on the JurnalTV channel.
“Moscow could permanently cut off the gas to cause a humanitarian crisis. We need to prepare for this scenario. Or, if the Kremlin knows that we are ready for such a scenario, the chances of success in the negotiations are very high,” said another expert, Sergei Tofilat.
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