Moldova Seeks Russian Gas Discount

Moldovan President Igor Dodon is planning a visit in Moscow on July 17 in the hope of securing a discount on Russian gas supplies.

“Tomorrow I will be making a short working visit to Moscow, during which a reduction in the price of natural gas supplies to Moldova will be discussed with authorities of the Russian Federation,” Dodon said on his Facebook page on July 16. He added that Russia’s state gas supplier Gazprom would be involved in the talks.

Moldova is close to 100% dependent on Russia for its gas, receiving 2.9bn m³ of supplies from the country in 2018. Its long-term delivery contract with Gazprom is due to run out at the end of this year, however.

Besides lower prices, the Moldovan government wants to agree terms that will enable it to scale back Russian purchases once the completion of a pipeline project paves the way for large-scale Romanian supplies starting in the early 2020s.

Dodon held talks on future gas supplies in St Petersburg in early June with Gazprom head Alexei Miller.