A company on the right bank of the Nistru reportedly signed a contract with Tiraspoltransgaz to supply natural gas from European exchanges
On Tuesday, January 14, the companies Natural Gaz DC and Tiraspoltransgaz - a company affiliated with the Russian concern "Gazprom", concluded a framework contract for the supply of natural gas to the Transnistrian region. The natural gas is to be purchased from European exchanges, which means that Tiraspol will have to pay the full price for the gas for the first time, said the head of the company Natural gaz DC, Arcadie Vicol, in an interview for Ziarul Național. He also mentioned that he had a discussion at SIS regarding the content of this contract.
According to Vicol, the contract was approved by the Secretariat of the Energy Community, which is part of the Energy Commission of the European Union. "That contract provides for the supply of natural gas and the payment for natural gas. If it is realized, it will be the first time that natural gas supplied to the left bank of the Nistru is paid for and taxes are paid to the budget of the Republic of Moldova,” said Arcadie Vicol. He pointed out that gas will not be delivered to the left bank of the Nistru if it is not paid.
Curiously, this contract was concluded on the day when separatist leader Vadim Krasnoselski returned from Moscow, and today he announced that “soon” gas will be delivered to the left bank of the Nistru.
Vicol denied that he was playing someone’s game, noting that this is a strictly commercial contract, as a result of which Chisinau is to benefit from taxes in the form of VAT on natural gas worth about three million lei daily. “This amount would come to the budget of the Republic of Moldova, if this contract is realized,” said Vicol.
Under the contract, 2-3 million cubic meters of natural gas will be delivered per day. "I'll tell you the quantity discussed, but how they will use the gas is their business. We sell it, collect the money and then they use the gas either for electricity, for industry or for household consumers," said the head of Natural Gaz DC.
Asked by Teleradio-Moldova to comment on the conclusion of this contract, the interim chairman of the Board of Directors of Moldovagaz Vadim Ceban said that he learned about this document from the media. "Tiraspoltranzgaz is a subsidiary of Moldovagaz and within the framework of corporate relations we will find out what was signed. For us it is strange, we learned about this contract from the media. We will find out more information and then we will comment," said Vadim Ceban, suggesting to ask the opinion of the energy regulator of the Republic of Moldova - ANRE.
Contacted by Teleradio-Moldova, the head of the communication service at the National Energy Regulatory Agency, Galina Sanduta, said that she knew nothing about this contract.
We remind you that on Wednesday, a day after his visit to Moscow, separatist leader Vadim Krasnoselski said that he had agreed in Moscow on the delivery of natural gas to the left bank of the Nistru. For now, it is not clear which transportation route will be used and who will cover the transit costs .
“The gas that will be delivered is enough to ensure the operation of all thermal power plants, electricity production and the activity of enterprises. The gas will be delivered as humanitarian aid,” Krasnoselski said.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Dorin Recean, criticized the situation and Russia’s strategy, and stated that the recent actions are part of a predictable strategy of escalation.
*“Absolutely everything was predictable, including this statement. Russia created a problem, sacrificed and kept the citizens of the Republic of Moldova on the left bank of the Nistru in the dark. And now it is presenting itself as the savior of the situation. Their objective is to create a crisis and to escalate the situation, including on the right bank, with the ultimate goal of increasing their military capacity on the left bank of the Nistru River for a possible aggression against Ukraine,” said Recean.
The Russian concern Gazprom has stopped natural gas supplies to the Transnistrian region, starting with January 1, as a result, the situation has generated massive disconnections from gas, hot water and thermal energy in most localities.
Experts suggest that the current energy and social crisis on the left bank of the Nistru was artificially created by the Russian Federation, as part of a broader strategy to destabilize the Republic of Moldova before this year’s parliamentary elections. This situation could be used to gain political capital, with the opposition having a chance to present itself as “saviors” in front of the electorate.
