Moldova and unrecognized Transnistria have signed a contract to supply three million cubic meters of gas on credit.
This was announced by Vadim Cheban, Acting Chairman of the Board of Moldovagaz.
The supplies will support the functionality of the Transnistrian gas system. This volume of gas will maintain pressure in the gas system on the left bank of the Dniester until gas supplies to Transnistria begin under a grant from the European Union. Under the terms of the agreement, this volume of natural gas must be returned by March 1, 2025.
Transnistrian media estimated that 3 million cubic meters of gas would be enough to meet the regionʼs needs for 10 days. This is taking into account the widespread power outages and nighttime operations of some enterprises.
The "leader" of unrecognized Transnistria, Vadim Krasnoselsky, announced that Russia would provide Transnistria with a loan to pay for Moldovan gas.
"The Russian Federation lends us, Tiraspoltransgaz is credited and pays for the gas that will arrive in Transnistria," Krasnoselsky told Russian propagandists.
He expects it could start arriving by the end of this week — in a "good scenario," if "thereʼs no physical obstruction."
Energy crisis in Transnistria
From January 1, 2025, Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian gas, which several EU states and the unrecognized Transnistria continued to receive.
At the same time, Moldova did not agree to Russiaʼs demands to continue supplying gas to Transnistria via an alternative route through the Balkans. Therefore, on December 28, 2024, Gazprom officially announced that it would stop supplying gas to Transnistria from January due to "non-fulfillment of payment obligations."
In Transnistria, the supply of heat and hot water to residential buildings has been cut off. In high-rise buildings, gas is available only for cooking. It is supplied from reserves in the gas pipeline system, but only until the pressure in the network drops to a critical level. Industrial enterprises have suspended work, and since January 3, fanned power outages have been introduced.
At first, Transnistria refused to help Moldova purchase gas on European markets, waiting for Russian Gazprom to resume supplies. On January 20, Transnistria agreed to receive gas from the Moldovan state company Moldovagaz. The region undertook to pay for these supplies.
The leader of unrecognized Transnistria, Vadym Krasnoselsky, says that Russia will restore gas supplies to unrecognized Transnistria — it will do so in the format of humanitarian and technical assistance.