Ukraine offers Moldova help in bypassing Gazprom and importing gas from the EU
The Ukrainian national oil and gas company Ukrtransgaz sent Moldova a proposal to delay the construction of the Romania-Moldova interconnector, which makes the Moldovan side vulnerable during its next meeting with Gazprom, as stated in Ukrtransgaz’ press release.
It was noted that taking advantage of the Ukrainian gas transmission system would minimize the potential risks associated with possible interruptions in the transit of natural gas from the Russian Federation and guarantee gas security to Moldovan consumers.
Today, the Ukrainian GTS provides flexible and reliable transportation of large volumes of gas to Europe at competitive prices. For more than three years, Ukraine has been meeting its needs when it comes to natural gas without Gazprom’s participation. Thanks to the GTS, Ukraine imports all the gas it needs from EU countries. With the support of the Ukrainian GTS, Moldovan suppliers can take a similar approach which would allow Moldova to independently import gas from the EU if necessary.
In addition, Ukrtransgaz offered Moldova the opportunity to create its own gas reserve in Ukrainian underground storage facilities in order to ensure uninterrupted gas supply to Moldovan consumers during the winter of 2019/2020. The total capacity at the junction points between Moldova and Ukraine allows up to 15 million cubic meters of gas to be transported per day, which fully covers the needs of consumers in Moldova.