Infrastructure minister says Moldova gets best price for gas, from strictly commercial perspective

Chisinau, 1 November /MOLDPRES/ - The three goals of Moldova’s delegation at the negotiations with Gazprom – to get the best price possible, not to allow a high increase in tariffs, to discuss the contract from strictly commercial perspective – have been fulfilled.   
As a result, Moldova signed two documents which represent a protocol of the negotiations and a five-year contract on gas supply, without political conditions, according to Deputy Prime Minister, Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Andrei Spinu. The minister today gave a news conference on the subject of the results of the talks held in St Petersburg (Russia) last week, which ended with an agreement between Chisinau and Gazprom.
„The protocol establishes details on the common agenda on the gas issue and the signing by Moldovagaz and Gazprom of the contract on delivery of gas for Moldova starting from 1 November this year. As far as the price is concerned, the sides accepted the price formula suggested by our delegation, which is based on a certain ratio between the prices for gas and oil on market. Or, according to the current prices on market, for November, the price will be approximately around the figure of 450 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres and subsequently, the price is to decrease, depending on the quotation of the gas price at the exchange. In the present conditions, we will have a twice lower price than the market one and a lower price than the one paid in October,’’ Andrei Spinu noted.  
According to the official, ‘’the price for consumers will increase, as we have bought natural price at a higher price, but not too high.’’ ‘’At the same time, the price might grow also given that the dollar’s exchange rate increased. On the next 2-3 days, we have the commitment that Moldovagaz goes to the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) to ask for the tariff’s increase and the government will help the citizens. The tariff should be adjusted in November,’’ Andrei Spinu said.     
As for the debt created at Moldovagaz, the official specified that the sides agreed to carry out an independent audit of this debt in 2022. ‘’Moldova will initiate a tender, in order to identify the best audit company, which will deal with the process. Subsequently, based on this audit, decision-makers are to establish the sum and we are to have new negotiations on identifying the way and calendar of payment of this debt to Moldovagaz,’’ the deputy prime minister said.     
Spinu also said that the agreements with Gazprom would not cancel the implementation of the Third Energy Package. ‘’We informed the Russian side that the implementation of the Third Energy Package is an international commitment and Moldova’s legislation provides for the protection of investors’ rights,’’ the infrastructure minister said.    
In another context, Andrei Spinu informed that, in November, the Moldovan government would summon a meeting of the Moldovan-Russian intergovernmental commission, in order to initiate the signing of more documents in the energy sector. ‘’We have managed to get rid of a problem which would have been a heavy burden on the consumers and which was a great difficulty, in the context of the present market prices. Now, we have time and space to deal with other problems on the optimization of the energy sector, as well as on the diversification of the energy sources. Moldova learned a lesson, which shows that the sleigh must be made in summer or it is regrettable that, in tens of years, the country has not managed to get more in this sector,’’ Deputy PM Andrei Spinu added.