The National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) from the Republic of Moldova announced on Friday that it imposed a fine of 33.99 million Moldovan lei (1.9 million dollars) on the operator of the natural gas transport system “Moldovatransgaz” for non-compliance with legal obligations regarding the separation of transport and supply activities, informs Reuters.

According to ANRE, the company Moldovatransgaz, a subsidiary of S.A. “Moldovagaz”, in which the Russian group Gazprom holds a 50% stake, was fined for non-compliance with legal obligations related to ensuring its independence in relation to the vertically integrated natural gas company S.A. “Moldovagaz”, which carries out a licensed activity of supplying natural gas to the Republic of Moldova, according to Agerpres.

According to the Decision of the Administrative Council of ANRE dated 15.09.2023, the financial sanction applied to S.R.L. “Moldovatransgaz” is to be transferred to the state budget.

In response, Moldovatransgaz published a press release in which it claims that it does not agree with ANRE’s decision and intends to challenge it in court.

Gas deliveries frequently caused tensions between the Republic of Moldova and Russia until the end of last year, as until now Chisinau depended almost exclusively on Gazprom for gas imports. In the last year, the Republic of Moldova has made progress in diversifying its sources of supply with the help of the European Union.