Moldovan gas supplier Moldovagaz and its Transnistrian subsidiary Tiraspoltransgaz have signed a "loan agreement" for 3mn m³ of gas, which must be returned by 1 March.
Deliveries will be made based on applications received from Tiraspoltransgaz. The gas will be provided as a part of the European support programme aiming to solve the energy crisis on the left bank of the Dniester. It envisages the supply of gas to the Transnistrian region and a grant of €30mn. "The support provided by the EU is provided to all citizens of the Republic of Moldova on both banks of the Dniester river, it is intended not only for the Transnistrian region, but also for citizens on the right bank," according to Moldovan government spokesperson Daniel Voda. "The right bank will receive electricity from Transnistria's MGRES power plant for free on 1-10 February", Voda added.
The volume of supply will be limited to the gas and electricity consumption of households, kindergartens, schools, basic businesses such as bakeries or small businesses in the Transnistrian region, Voda said.
The government and EU are preparing a comprehensive aid package for the next two years, which includes investments in electricity production and distribution and measures to reduce electricity tariffs for citizens.
And Ukraine has said it is ready to supply Moldova with enough coal to fire up the MGRES plant. But Transnistrian president Vadim Krasnoselsky rejected this proposal. DTEK is the largest private coal producer in Ukraine.
The energy situation in the region was the subject of a meeting between Moldovan prime minister Dorin Recean and DTEK executive director Maxim Tymchenko at the Davos economic forum. The officials discussed energy interconnection, the increase in the production of renewable energy and the development of energy storage systems in the region.