Moldova will not return to the model of cheap Russian gas — minister
Moldova has signed contracts for most of the gas needed for the 2026–2027 heating season and does not plan to return to the old energy supply model based on Russian gas. Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu told Balkan Insight about this.
Gas procurement and tariffs
According to the minister, the state trader Energocom was purchasing gas, and the country has already secured contracts for most of its needs for the upcoming heating season. At the same time, gas tariffs in Moldova have risen, the government is still developing a compensation plan, and European energy markets remain unstable.
Junghietu also announced plans to consolidate Moldovagaz’s 12 gas distribution companies. According to the publication, Moldovagaz is controlled by Russia’s Gazprom.
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Abandoning the old model
Since the autumn of 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moldova has sought to reduce its dependence on Russian energy resources. Previously, gas supplies by Gazprom gave Moscow political influence over the country’s pro-European governments, Balkan Insight notes.
The minister stated that Moldova would not return to the previous energy model based on Russian gas and electricity from the Kuchurgan power plant, the Moldavskaya GRES, in the separatist region of Transnistria. Electricity at the plant was generated from Russian gas, for which the region did not pay in full. Junghietu also spoke about Transnistria’s need to create its own gas reserves and about developing electricity connections with Romania.
