Parlicov: I Am Almost Certain That Moldovagaz Will Lose Its License

If Moldovagaz does not complete the separation of its activities in accordance with the legislation by the end of July 2025, the regulator will revoke the company’s gas supply license and appoint another company to supply gas at regulated prices. Former Minister of Energy Victor Parlicov stated on May 5 during the TV8 program New Week with Anatolie Golea that he is almost certain the license will be revoked, as the issue of unbundling activities and transferring assets is not even on the agenda of the upcoming shareholders’ meeting. According to him, for many years there was a status quo in which Moldovagaz remained the main supplier of natural gas to Moldova, and in recent years it also retained the role of supplier to the Pridnestrovian region. Thanks to this arrangement, Tiraspol was able to continue receiving funding, while right-bank Moldova purchased cheap electricity from Kuchurgan Power Plant. However, this balance was disrupted when Gazprom attempted to sabotage the implementation of the Third Energy Package in Moldova and then, starting January 1, 2025, ceased natural gas deliveries to the Pridnestrovian region, refusing to use an alternative route. “Gazprom made its choice. Gazprom had the opportunity to implement the Third Energy Package and continue its operations without changes. They could have continued gas deliveries to the Pridnestrovian region from January 1 and delayed the transition by using Moldovagaz’s license—gaining a couple of years to sort things out and reach a solution. Gazprom made its choice; they said they weren’t interested. Well, if they’re not interested, we can’t just leave consumers without gas, can we? We need some kind of solution,” Parlicov said. He noted that Chisinau had been trying to avoid a crisis in the Pridnestrovian region and to preserve the fragile balance in the energy sector. The authorities requested permission from the Energy Community Secretariat to postpone the revocation of Moldovagaz’s license for the duration of the current contract, until October 2026, since it was effectively the only supplier of natural gas to the Pridnestrovian region. “But Gazprom disrupted this fragile balance, unilaterally refused to supply gas, and there is no longer any sense in keeping Moldovagaz as the main supplier. Moldovagaz has outlived its role as the primary natural gas supplier. Now we will need to look for new mechanisms to ensure gas deliveries to consumers,” said the former Minister of Energy. In his opinion, Gazprom, as the main shareholder of Moldovagaz, will not be able to influence the situation regarding the license revocation, as it has lost its leverage in recent years. Ordinary consumers also have nothing to worry about—the transition will be gradual. “There is absolutely no difficulty in organizing the transition of consumers from Moldovagaz to another supplier. The list of consumers will be handed over to the supplier that wins the tender. The database and personnel responsible for billing will also be transferred. Initially, these services will be purchased from Moldovagaz, and later everything will be handed over to the new supplier,” Parlicov noted. In his view, after the license is revoked, ANRE will first appoint a temporary supplier, and then, following a tender process, a permanent natural gas supplier will be selected.