MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. MET Group trader is ready to supply gas to Moldova, though supplies may only be provided if the operator of Ukraine’s gas transport system is ready for them, a source in the trader’s press service told TASS.
"Overall, MET Group is ready for supplies to any place in Europe, including Moldova. However, such supplies may only be provided if the operator of the Ukrainian gas transport system is ready for deliveries," the company said.
On Wednesday, Kommersant business daily reported citing sources that the Hungarian trader MET International AG had started booking gas pipeline capacities for suppling gas to Transnistria from February. The contract on gas supplies between Moldovagaz and MET may allegedly be signed in the near future, with a framework agreement having been reached by now. Meanwhile the contract with MET may total around 60.5 mln cubic meters (roughly 2 mln cubic meters per day).
MET Group is an integrated European energy company, headquartered in Switzerland, with activities in natural gas and power markets. MET is represented in 17 countries through its subsidiaries, 30 national gas markets, and 39 international trade hubs. In 2023, consolidated revenue of MET Group from sales amounted to 24.5 bln euro, with total sales of natural gas equaling 88 bln cubic meters.
Gazprom halted gas supplies to Moldova in early January, citing a ban on transit through Ukraine and Chisinau's failure to resolve outstanding debt. In this regard, the Russian-owned Moldovan TPP, which supplied electricity to Moldova and Transnistria, was converted to coal and only serves consumers on the left bank of the Dniester. Unlike Moldova, Transnistria has no alternative gas sources. In order to save money, central heating has been shut off there, the supply of hot water to residential houses has been cut off, industrial enterprises have been shut down, and power cuts have begun. Coal reserves at the Moldovan TPP are projected to last until the end of January or mid-February.