By RFE/RL staff - Jan 03, 2025
Moldova's state-owned energy trader, Energocom, has successfully covered 100% of the country's electricity consumption despite the halt in Russian gas supplies due to a contract dispute with Ukraine.
The breakaway region of Transdniester is receiving electricity from Moldova, but its natural gas reserves are dwindling, leading to shortages in some areas.
Slovakia threatens to retaliate against Ukraine for the halt in Russian gas transit through its territory, including cutting electricity supplies and demanding compensation.
Moldovan state-owned energy trader JSC Energocom says it will cover 100 percent of electricity consumption on January 3, two days after supplies of Russian natural gas abruptly stopped due to the expiration of a supply contract with Ukraine.
Energocom said on January 2 that consumption is expected to be higher by about 10 on January 3, but it will still cover demand. Electricity consumption of the right bank of the Dniester River was fully covered in the first two days of the year, the government's crisis group announced on January 2.
The company says that in addition to local production from heating plants in Chisinau and Balti and local renewable energy sources, electricity will be purchased from outside the country.
The crisis group, established on December 26, said that on January 1 almost half of the country's electricity consumption was covered by imports from Romania and there was no need to activate contingency contracts or unintended flows.
Authorities in Chisinau, meanwhile, confirmed that the breakaway region of Transdniester, which has not been supplied with natural gas since January 1, is being provided with electricity after the power plant serving the region switched to coal-fired operation.
According to public data, Tiraspol has reserves of about 70,000 tons of coal, which could cover consumption of the region for 30 to 50 days.
The municipal administration in Transdniester's capital, Tiraspol, said it has natural gas reserves of about 13 million cubic meters, which is sufficient for about 20 days.
But people in at least 11 communities near Tiraspol had no supply of natural gas, heating and hot water on January 1. The city has set up 30 meeting points where people can gather to warm up and eat hot meals. Meanwhile, about 115,000 households are receiving natural gas supplies only for cooking, according to supplier Tiraspoltransgaz.
"For now, the situation is not critical," one man from the city of Tighina told RFE/RL's Moldovan service on January 2, noting he has been able to cope so far using his electric stove. "For others, maybe, it's worse," he quickly added.
Ukraine’s decision not to renew the contract allowing the flow of Russian gas through its territory deepened a rift between Kyiv and Bratislava.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on January 2 that the Slovak government will discuss retaliatory measures, including cutting electricity supplies to Ukraine, lowering aid to Ukrainian refugees, and demanding either the renewal of gas transits or compensation for losses.
"The only alternative for a sovereign Slovakia is renewal of transit or demanding compensation mechanisms that will replace the loss in public finances of nearly 500 million euros,” Fico said on Facebook.
Slovakia has alternative gas supplies, but Fico says Slovakia will lose its own transit revenues and pay additional transit fees to bring in non-Russian gas.
Fico said a Slovak delegation would discuss the situation in Brussels next week and then his ruling coalition would discuss retaliation for what he called "sabotage" by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Zelenskiy said on January 1 that the end of natural gas supplies to Europe via the pipeline traversing Ukraine is a major defeat for Russian President Vladimir Putin after accusing Moscow of “weaponizing energy.”
By RFE/RL
Moldova’s Breakaway Region Idles Industry Without Russian Gas
By Charles Kennedy - Jan 03, 2025, 9:30 AM CST
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Days after Russian natural gas stopped flowing to the breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova, the area shut down all industrial production except food production, Transnistria’s first deputy prime minister, Sergei Obolonik, said.
“All industrial enterprises are idle, with the exception of those engaged in food production - that is, directly ensuring food security for Transdniestria,” said the senior official, as quoted by Reuters.
Transnistria has also cut off the supply of heating and hot water to households after Russia suspended the transit of natural gas via Ukraine at the start of the year.
The move followed a declaration by Ukraine that the country would not renew the transit deal with Gazprom while the war continues.
Russia exported some 2 billion cu m of natural gas to Transnistria, where the gas is used to generate electricity that is then transmitted to Moldova.
Moldova has been trying to fend off Russian influence in the breakaway Transnistria region, a narrow strip of land between the Dniester River and the Ukrainian border, which isn’t recognized by the international community.
Since 2022, however, Transnistria and the central government of Moldova have agreed that all natural gas sent by Russian giant Gazprom to Moldova flows to Transnistria. Following the reports that Ukraine will not renew the transit deal with Gazprom, the Moldovan authorities discussed alternative supply routes with Gazprom, which has agreed to consider these but only after the outstanding debt to Gazprom is paid.
Moldova, meanwhile, is trying to cut its energy consumption by at least 33% to cope with the end of gas deliveries from Russia. For the country, the only alternative to these are imports from neighboring Romania and, per plans, local wind and solar.
At 0500 GMT on New Year’s Day, Russian gas giant Gazprom halted pipeline deliveries to Europe via Ukraine, and the last remaining EU members that were still receiving gas from Russia until December 31 – Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary – lost this source of supply.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
Days after Russian natural gas stopped flowing to the breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova, the area shut down all industrial production except food production, Transnistria’s first deputy prime minister, Sergei Obolonik, said.
“All industrial enterprises are idle, with the exception of those engaged in food production - that is, directly ensuring food security for Transdniestria,” said the senior official, as quoted by Reuters.
Transnistria has also cut off the supply of heating and hot water to households after Russia suspended the transit of natural gas via Ukraine at the start of the year.
The move followed a declaration by Ukraine that the country would not renew the transit deal with Gazprom while the war continues.
Russia exported some 2 billion cu m of natural gas to Transnistria, where the gas is used to generate electricity that is then transmitted to Moldova.
Moldova has been trying to fend off Russian influence in the breakaway Transnistria region, a narrow strip of land between the Dniester River and the Ukrainian border, which isn’t recognized by the international community.
Since 2022, however, Transnistria and the central government of Moldova have agreed that all natural gas sent by Russian giant Gazprom to Moldova flows to Transnistria. Following the reports that Ukraine will not renew the transit deal with Gazprom, the Moldovan authorities discussed alternative supply routes with Gazprom, which has agreed to consider these but only after the outstanding debt to Gazprom is paid.
Moldova, meanwhile, is trying to cut its energy consumption by at least 33% to cope with the end of gas deliveries from Russia. For the country, the only alternative to these are imports from neighboring Romania and, per plans, local wind and solar.
At 0500 GMT on New Year’s Day, Russian gas giant Gazprom halted pipeline deliveries to Europe via Ukraine, and the last remaining EU members that were still receiving gas from Russia until December 31 – Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary – lost this source of supply.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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