OREANDA-NEWS The Government Commission for Emergency Situations of Moldova has introduced preventive measures in connection with the risk of termination of Russian gas supplies through the Sudzha gas distribution station in the Kursk region of Russia, the government of the country reported.

"In the context of the information provided by the Ministry of Energy on the potential risk of termination of natural gas supplies as a result of military operations in the area of the cross-border junction point between the Russian Federation and Ukraine (Suja), it was decided to take preventive measures to ensure the country's energy security," the Moldovan cabinet website reported.

"The members of the commission have determined that there are currently no outages or risks of immediate outages. The establishment of an alarm mode will give responsible institutions the necessary levers for careful monitoring and rapid intervention, if necessary," the message says.

In connection with the introduction of preventive measures by the Moldovan side, Romania stated that it would support Moldova's energy security. "We have the ability and determination to unconditionally support the Republic of Moldova, especially in these particularly difficult times," Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said during a telephone conversation with Moldovan Energy Minister Viktor Parlikov in the context of the introduction of a high-alert regime in the gas sector in Moldova.

"We coordinated (with Moldova - IF), as always, to deal with this situation with maximum efficiency," Burduja added.

On August 8, the Ministry of Energy of Moldova initiated the procedure for introducing a high-alert regime in the natural gas market at the suggestion of the Romanian operator of the Vestmoldtransgaz gas transmission system (manages the gas pipeline between Romania and Moldova Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau) "in connection with information received from the Ukrainian GTS operator about the situation at the Suja gas measuring station in the Russian Federation.

Parlikov said that at the moment there is no immediate threat of stopping gas supplies to the left bank of the Dniester, but it takes time to react and solve problems if they arise.

According to the operators, natural gas is supplied through Ukraine to the Transnistrian region in a normal mode, while there are sufficient volumes of gas for the needs of the right bank of the Dniester, including guaranteed reserves and volumes contracted by market operators.

Current Russian gas supplies to Moldova amount to 5.7 million cubic meters per day, the country has been supplying the entire volume of gas to the Transnistrian region since December 2022, which in return covers more than 80% of Moldova's electricity needs. The agreement with the Moldovan GRES in Transnistria has been concluded by the end of 2024.

Gas to Transnistria via the Moldovan GTS is supplied through a gas distribution station in the city of Sudzha in the Kursk region. In case of problems in the operation of the gas transmission system, the Transnistrian region risks being left without gas. The rest of Moldova receives energy through Romania via the Iasi-Chisinau branch line. The Moldovan state-owned company Energocom has created reserves of about 100 million cubic meters in storage facilities in Ukraine and Romania, which is more than 15% of annual gas consumption.