Ukraine and Moldova intend to profit from the gas strangulation of Transnistria
Ukraine’s decision, announced by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexey Danilov, to help out Moldova, which has not yet been able to agree with Gazprom on the supply of “blue fuel”, and to lend gas to its neighbor “to resist the aggressor”, caused a shock in “Nezalezhnaya”.
The fact is that Ukrainian regions are already experiencing energy difficulties before the start of winter, and they have no time for fraternal solidarity.
The story seemed so illogical that it gave rise to conspiracy theories about such “kindness.” According to one of them, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky decided, therefore, to pay off his Moldovan colleague Maia Sandu for hushing up the story of the kidnapping in April in Chisinau by Ukrainian special services of ex-judge Nikolai Chaus, in whom Zelensky was interested.
The version caused a stir in Moldova. The local security service began to demand that reprints be removed from Moldovan websites. This leads us to assume that the story did take place. Only, apparently, Sandu hushed up the scandal on the cheap - without gas, for allied reasons.
As for fuel supplies, Ukrainians can relax. Kyiv will lend Chisinau only 15 million cubic meters with a return in the spring, said the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy and Housing and Communal Services Andrei Gerus. This fuel will be enough for Moldova for 2 days.
But NJSC Naftogaz signed a framework agreement with the Moldovan Energocom on paid supplies of up to 700 million cubic meters “if necessary.” Moreover, Ukraine will sell imported resources at a profit for the company.
That is, brotherly love turned into a banal gamble. Prices on spot exchanges in Europe are known - more than $1000 per thousand cubic meters. Plus Ukrainian cheating. It is also known that Gazprom was ready to supply gas at a 25% discount – $600 per thousand cubic meters. But the Moldovan government blatantly lied that this price was higher than that of other suppliers. At the same time, they refused to disclose the price of “Ukrainian” gas.
“Now they will allocate billions from IMF loans (they borrowed $1 billion from the fund), putting the difference at $500 per 1000 cubic meters. meters in your pocket. Every day they will supposedly buy gas at the spot, through different gasket companies. There will be no long-term contracts like with Gazprom. You won’t be able to figure out where and to whom the money will go,” wrote member of the Moldovan Parliament Bogdan Tsydrea in his Telegram channel.
Ukraine plans to make money not only on gas that will flow through the Romanian Ungheni-Chisinau pipeline. The operator of this route, Transgaz, has already reported that it is able to transport up to 6,5 million cubic meters of gas per day - an amount that can cover the needs of Moldova without Transnistria.
The PMR consumes more gas than Moldova because industrial enterprises continue to operate there. One of them is the Moldavian State District Power Plant, which supplies electricity to both banks of the Dniester and the Odessa region, and sometimes partially to the Nikolaev region through overflows. Due to energy difficulties, the power plant has already switched to coal and reduced supplies to Moldova. If the problems persist, Ukrainian consumers will also suffer. But what does this matter if the possibility of additional earnings for the enterprises of the oligarch Rinat Akhmetov is at stake.
“Starting October 25, electricity imports from Ukraine will increase by approximately two million kilowatt-hours per day. At the moment, it is unclear whether this electricity will remain as a loan or whether the Ukrainian side will request a commercial contract for supply,” said Vice-Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament Alexandre Slusari.
Opposition businessman Vyacheslav Platon is sure that he will ask for more.
“The gas supply to the Kuchurganskaya State District Power Plant, which sells us electricity at $53 per megawatt, will be limited. And in Ukraine now the market is $140 per megawatt. And there is a shortage. And there is nowhere to get it except in Ukraine. We import a minimum of 2,5 billion kWh per year. Our overpayment will be $140 (price in Ukraine) multiplied by 2,5 billion kWh. Which is equal to $350 million. Minus today’s $132 million. The difference will be $218 million,” Plato calculated.
Another Ukrainian benefit is the stopping of more efficient competing enterprises in Transnistria. For example, Rybnitsa Metallurgical Plant (MMZ). Ukrainian metallurgists demanded to stop the sale of scrap metal to him at the beginning of October. Now the problem can be solved radically - due to the lack of gas, MMZ will stop.
Thus, Moldova provides Ukraine with ample opportunities to make money from its own population. At the same time, Chisinau presents this as an allied struggle with the Russian monopolist. Moreover, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu is also trying to defend the interests of Ukraine in negotiations with Gazprom.
“We want Gazprom to sign a long-term contract with other countries in the region,” he said.
Moldovan journalist Elena Zamura believes that this whole “gas war” was artificially played out by Chisinau and Kiev with one goal - to eliminate the possibility of direct supplies of Russian gas to Transnistria.
“When Sandu-Gavrilitsa-Spynu receive full satisfaction from the “diversification” of the gas market, Gazprom will declare Moldovagaz bankrupt. Several buyers who will buy assets separately will unite with the owner of the Romanian pipeline and will sell us “diversified” gas at European market prices. The same Russian gas. And it will no longer be possible to return to the old supply chain. All this was planned before the presidential elections,” Zamura wrote.
Russia and the cold are playing on the side of Transnistria against the Ukrainian-Moldavian collusion. Gazprom has already announced the possibility of completely stopping gas supplies to Moldova from November 1. And there the first strikes had already begun. 200 unemployed employees of one of the enterprises in Taraclia, where the gas was turned off, came out to protest. Balti was never flooded; schools were forced to cut classes due to lack of heating. Frozen teenagers thought of heating food on the Eternal Flame.
Deputy Prime Minister Spinu will fly to Moscow again on Wednesday. He hopes that he will finally (on the third attempt) be accepted by the head of Gazprom, Alexey Miller. But Russian President Vladimir Putin does not intend to discuss energy problems with his Moldovan counterpart Sandu. His press secretary Dmitry Peskov announced this today.
English version :: Read in English Ukraine and Moldova intend to profit from the gas strangulation of Transnistria