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Bulgaria is ready to help Moldova if Russia stops gas supplies from January 1, 2025, said acting Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov. He noted that the two countries had recently signed a memorandum on crisis response.
“We are in constant contact with the Moldovan Ministry of Energy, so they can also count on us. We are ready to support them by providing access to both liquefied natural gas and through the state supplier Bulgargaz, if they request this assistance,” Malinov said in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio.
In mid-November, the Republic of Moldova and Bulgaria signed a memorandum of understanding, which stipulates that the two countries will cooperate to ensure the continuity of electricity and natural gas supplies, as well as the effective management of possible crisis situations.
“The well-developed Bulgarian gas and electricity transmission network is an excellent prerequisite for ensuring secure and competitive supplies to our partners in Southeast Europe,” Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov said at the signing of the contract with Moldova.
This week, Gazprom notified Chisinau of the suspension of natural gas supplies from 08:00 Moscow time (9:00 local time) on January 1, 2025. The reason is that the Moldovan authorities refuse to fulfill contractual payment obligations. Moldovagaz’s debt to the Russian concern has already exceeded $700 million, and instead of paying, the Moldovan authorities are threatening to nationalize the property of the gas distribution company Moldovagaz AD, a subsidiary of Gazprom.
Moldovan electricity company Energocom announced that in January 2025, electricity demand will be met through local production and imports from Romania.
Thus, the thermal power plants in Chisinau and Balti will provide about 28% of consumption. Another 10% will be renewable energy sources. The remaining 62% of the required electricity will be imported from Romania, which in turn can import electricity from Bulgaria. The price for Moldova is not yet known, but it will be significantly higher than the price of energy from the gas-fired power plant Cuciurgani-Moldavskaya GRES (installed capacity of 2,520 MW), owned by the Russian company Inter-RAO and located in Transnistria, and will be reflected in the tariffs. Energocom said that they will try to conclude the best contracts against the backdrop of the energy crisis in which the country has fallen.
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