Bogdan Tudorache

Moldova could run out of gas for several days in January, says energy expert Sergiu Tofilat. “The trans-Balkan reverse flow will depend on the launch of the Turkish Stream pipeline, which is officially announced on January 8th. If the transit contract between Russia and Ukraine is not signed on 1 January, the transit stops and it is not clear from 1 to 8 January where we will receive new gas. Turkish Stream launches on 8, which means at least one week,” said Tofilat, quoted by Free Europe Moldova.

Another option, which the government is examining, is “to get gas from Ukrainian deposits”, but this “would not fully ensure gas consumption,” he says. “This route would save Balti, Chisinau, meaning the north and the center of the Republic, but it would not reach the south. Also, we will not be able to bring gas to the Transnistrian region, to produce electricity. And here are a number of questions: what do we do with electricity and from whom will we buy this gas through the northern pipeline? It is clear that it will not be passed through Ukraine, it means someone’s else’s gas. Either it’s Naftogaz, or some European trader. It means there will be other payment conditions.”