Ex-president of Moldova Dodon: the population overpays for gas three times

The former president and head of the Socialist Party of Moldova, Igor Dodon, accuses the current authorities of the republic of deliberately maintaining a high gas price for the population in order to use it as a political tool before the elections.

According to Dodon, the gas price for consumers in Moldova should be about 10 lei, which is three times less than at the moment. He argues that the authorities are trying to create a “safety cushion” for “Moldovagaz” at the expense of the population, in order to then use it to reduce the price of gas before the local elections and take credit for it.

Dodon also emphasizes that in winter, citizens pay for gas three times: through taxes, compensation for loans taken to purchase gas, and directly for the consumed gas.

In Moldova, there is a state of emergency due to the energy crisis associated with the problems of gas shortages and a sharp increase in energy prices. In December 2022, Chisinau resumed purchasing electricity from the Moldavskaya GRES, which is located on the territory of Transnistria and belongs to the Russian company Inter RAO. “Moldovagaz” continues to supply the necessary volume of gas to Transnistria, and Moldova uses its gas reserves.

In October 2021, the Moldovan authorities signed a contract with Gazprom for the supply of gas to the country, subject to an audit of Moldovagaz’s debt in 2022. “Gazprom” said that it reserves the right to completely stop gas supplies to Moldova due to non-fulfillment of payment obligations and the timing of the agreement on debt settlement.