CHISINAU, November 21 The technical possibilities of supplying gas to Transnistria from countries other than Russia exist, but fuel from alternative sources will have to pay a high price, the Energy Minister of Moldova said on Tuesday Victor Parlikov.
Previously, Parlikov has repeatedly said that Moldova is seeking to get rid of dependence on Russian gas and switch to consuming energy from alternative sources. Additionally, the reason for Chisinau’s search for new ways of gas supplies is the threat from Kyiv to stop gas transit to the EU through its territory from 2025. Taking into account both of these factors, Transnistria finds itself in a difficult situation, which will be energy dependent on Chisinau, since the PMR’s energy sector is now powered by cheap Russian gas.
«
“Technically, the possibility of delivering gas to Transnistria exists. There are simply no people on the market, except Gazprom, who could supply it for free. Transnistria could buy gas even now if it could pay the market price,” Parlicov said on Radio Moldova, answering the question whether Transnistria could do without Russian gas.
He noted that the economy Transnistria is based on cheap resources, and most of the budget is financed by the supply of electricity to the right bank of the Dniester.
There is a state of emergency in Moldova, which was declared, among other things, due to the energy crisis amid problems with gas shortages and a sharp rise in prices for energy resources. Since December last year, the Moldovagaz enterprise has been receiving gas from two sources — from the state enterprise Energocom and the Russian Gazprom. Russian gas is sent to Transnistria, and the rest of Moldova uses gas from accumulated reserves.
Transnistria, 60% of whose residents are Russian and Ukrainian, sought secession from Moldova even before the collapse of the USSR, fearing that on the wave of nationalism Moldova would join Romania. In 1992, after a failed attempt by the Moldovan authorities to solve the problem by force, Transnistria became a territory virtually uncontrolled by Chisinau.