OREANDA-NEWS.  February 10, 2014. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) does not rule out possibility to participate in the construction of the Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline. „It is quite likely that we will finance this project, as it is a project on interconnecting Moldova with the European Union,” EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti said at a news conference today.

An EBRD-supported feasibility study for the construction of the Iasi-Chisinau gas pipeline is carried out at present, in order to assess the project’s costs.

A figure of 700-800 million lei in investments, necessary for building the main pipeline on the Ungheni-Chisinau direction, has been earlier spread, as the biggest consumers are in Chisinau. Under the project, the capacity of the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline will allow transporting 500 million cubic meters of gas yearly at the first stage and 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas in the second phase.

"The construction of the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline will also have to be backed through the building of the main pipeline on the direction Ungheni-Chisinau. Or, the biggest consumers of natural gas are in Chisinau. This pipeline is to have a 530-milimeter diameter and an estimated cost of 700-800 million lei. The technical and economic efficiency of the Ungheni-Iasi gas pipeline will be provided only by developing the entire infrastructure from the western direction to Chisinau. In this situation, the project’s total cost will amount to about one billion lei,“ according to a press release by the Economic Ministry.

Economics Ministry sources said that the Ungheni-Iasi gas pipeline’s length would reach 120 kilometres.

The Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline will have a length of 43.2 kilometres, of which 11 kilometres on Moldova’s territory. The project’s total cost is of about 26.5 million euro. The capacity of the gas pipeline will allow transporting 0.5 billion cubic meters of gas annually in the first stage and 1.5 billion in the second stage.

The Romanian side has already completed the works and make tests, whereas the Moldovan side will complete the construction works in March 2014.