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Energy crisis in Moldova associated with rising gas prices in Europe — Deputy PM

In January, prices for blue fuel for the republic increased to $646 per 1,000 cubic meters

© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

CHISINAU, January 11. /TASS/. The energy crisis in Moldova is caused by the rising gas prices in Europe, Deputy Prime Minister of the republic Andrey Spinu said on Tuesday.

"The energy crisis in Moldova is associated with the growth in gas prices in Europe," he said, commenting on the increase in prices for blue fuel for the republic in January to $646 per 1,000 cubic meters.

He added that the Moldovan government has turned to Gazprom with a new request to defer payments for gas supplies in January 2022. "Yesterday, I had a conversation with Mr. Miller (Chairman of the board of Gazprom Alexey Miller — TASS), during which we tried to agree on the possibility of postponing the payment of this advance by 10-20 days so that Moldovagaz could accumulate funds. The discussion is ongoing," Spinu said.

According to him, by the end of this week, the Moldovan-Russian gas distribution company Moldovagaz will pay for the fuel received in December last year.

In October, Moldovagaz and Gazprom extended the contract for the supply of gas for five years. There is an important clause that implies that by the 20th day of each month Moldova is obliged to pay the cost of gas consumed in the previous month, as well as half of the volume consumed in the current month.

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