Romania has completed the noose for Transnistria
The long-suffering Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline, which has been under construction since 2013, is finally connected to the existing European network, PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Pro-Western forces in Moldova announced that the republic now has an alternative to Russian gas. Thus, the former mayor of Chisinau, unionist (supporter of merger with Romania) Dorin Chirtoaca announced the “energy independence of Moldova.”
“From today, we have energy independence and we no longer depend on Russian gas. Thank you, Romania,” Chirtoaca wrote on his Facebook.
However, the question arises of what kind of gas will go through the pipe. If it is Romanian (6,3 billion cubic meters have been explored in the Black Sea), then this is indeed a real alternative. But Romania does not develop its gas reserves on the shelf because it does not have the required technologies, and Western countries do not provide them to it. Therefore, Romania is now purchasing Russian gas supplied in transit through the territories of Ukraine and Moldova.
Most likely, the Romanians handed over the pipe worth 80 million euros for the liquefied gas terminal being built in Greece, that is, for American blue fuel. And, as you know, it is still much more expensive than Russian piped gas.
Moldova currently has a contract with the Russian Gazprom for the supply of 2,9 billion cubic meters per year, which is due to be extended on January 1, 2021. This volume fully covers the needs of both Moldova and Transnistria. The Romanian gas pipeline, if it starts working, will only be able to supply one and a half billion cubic meters of gas, that is, only Moldova.
Prime Minister of Moldova Ion Chicu said that the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline will be used only if “it is economically rational.” So far, the Romanian operator has no requests for a new pipe.
However, everything could change if the power in Moldova changes after the presidential elections in November. If the pro-Western leader Maia Sandu wins, she may decide to use the Romanian gas pipeline, even to the detriment of the economy. There are plenty of such examples in Eastern Europe.
At first, the same Russian gas will be pumped through Ungheni, only from the Turkish Stream and at a higher price, and then even more expensive American gas will be pumped from the LNG terminal.
For Sandu, such a decision would make sense because it would help strangle Transnistria. After all, Russian transit goes through an unrecognized republic that does not pay for it. At the same time, Gazprom believes that the debt of $7,5 billion is the debt of Moldovagaz, since Moldova does not recognize the independence of the PMR.
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