Moldova to introduce free gas transit for Ukraine during winter months

The Emergency Situations Commission of Moldova has urged the regulator of Moldova's gas transmission system to ensure the unobstructed flow of European gas to storage facilities through four entry points on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border.

As reported by Ukrinform, this decision, made in light of Moldova's state of emergency due to the war in Ukraine, would enable Ukraine to import up to 17 million cubic meters of natural gas per day through the Trans-Balkan and Iasi-Chisinau gas pipelines.

Moldova currently has over a quarter of a billion cubic meters of gas in reserve, stored in Romania and Ukraine, which it believes is sufficient to meet its winter energy needs. To address concerns raised by Russia regarding the legality of gas storage in Ukraine, Moldova clarified that the gas stored in Ukraine was acquired from the open market and not from Gazprom, the Russian state-owned gas company