The Government has adopted the Plan of Measures in preparation for the 2023-2024 heating season, which takes into account three possible scenarios: 1) there will be no limitation of natural gas delivered by Gazprom to Moldovagaz, 2) Gazprom will continue to deliver natural gas at the level of 5.7 million m3/day, and 3) Gazprom will terminate the contract on natural gas supply signed between Moldovagaz and Gazprom.

In scenario 2, there can be two possible scenarios: a) Moldovagaz decides to allocate the 5.7 million m3/day delivered by Gazprom between the right and left banks in proportion to the share of consumption in 2021, without taking into account the volume of natural gas delivered to MGRES for the production of electricity for consumers on the right bank, or b) Moldovagaz decides to allocate the 5.7 million m3/day delivered by Gazprom to consumers on the left bank of the Dniester, including for the purpose of producing electricity for consumers on the right bank.

The scenarios considered are based on the experience of the energy crisis in the 2022-2023 heating season. The modelling also took into account the current geopolitical context, with the war in Ukraine and the politicization of energy trade by the Russian Federation, which have exponentially increased energy supply risks across Europe. The main vulnerability in the next heating season is expected to be the limited ability of Moldovan consumers to pay high energy prices, market prices in case of a new energy crisis.

Depending on each scenario, with or without the limitation of gas supply, measures are foreseen to mitigate the risks and ensure uninterrupted gas supply to consumers. At the same time, the Government of the Republic of Moldova, by approving the draft, as well as the EU Member States, aims to implement several measures to reduce natural gas consumption in the next heating season 2023-2024. Thus, the plan contains actions to reduce natural gas consumption, rational consumption of energy resources, reconnection of public buildings to centralized heating systems, operation of thermal power plants on alternative fuels, use of gas stocks created by SA Energocom until the beginning of the cold season. The minimum margin of these stocks should be 450 million m3 of gas by October 1.

In the case of Termoelectrica, the largest consumer of natural gas, the use of fuel oil as an alternative fuel in combination with gas, but not more than 50% of fuel oil, is foreseen, where appropriate. The combined use of natural gas - fuel oil fuel will be applied depending on the price developments of energy resources, the availability of energy resources and the impact on consumer vulnerability.