Moldova Eyes Energy Independence from Russia

Though some ‘minor problems’ have still to be resolved, gas should start flowing from Romania to Moldova in October, giving the country a much-anticipated alternative to Russia.

When construction ended in August 2020 on a 120-kilometre gas pipeline from Romania to Moldova, it was hailed as a milestone in cutting Moldova’s energy dependence on Russia. Almost a year later, the gas is still to flow.

“The gas pipeline is functional,” said a senior official at Romanian gas company Transgaz, one of the partners in the project. “There are still minor problems to be resolved with the Moldovan authorities.”

October 1 is now the expected start date, Transgaz General Manager Ion Sterian told a Romanian energy conference in late June. Ironically, the gas will initially be Russian, but which has already been delivered and stored in the European Union. The significance of the pipeline will not change.

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