OREANDA-NEWS. October 14, 2010. By 2015 price for natural gas, imported by Moldova, to make up USD 678 for 1 thousand of cubic meters, - experts of IDIS Viitorul assess. The Director of Economic Department IDIS Viitorul Viorel Chivriga said in the course of the roundtable, organized on the occasion of presentation of research “Gas sector of the Republic of Moldova – consequences of undeveloped facilities,” that the economy was susceptible to the gas import, particularly, because of influence of import prices of this type of fuel on the internal prices.

The change of prices for import results in change of local tariffs respectively. The economic expert Alexandru Fala noted that the growth of price for natural gas import by 1 Leu caused the increase of the average local tariff by 1,22 lei and the growth of price by more than 7% would result in the growth of prices in general.

The expert Ion Munteanu, in turn, stands for strengthening of Moldova’s role in the transit of natural gas and electricity, and for participation of our country in the alternative projects, such as the import of natural gas from Romania and Kazakhstan. In the context it was noted that a number of Rumanian companies are interested in fuel import to Moldova.

According to Alexandru Fala, the result of economic losses from undeveloped facilities is huge: from USD 36 million to USD 360 million were lost over the last three years because of non-initiation of negotiations with Romania on gas import that could enable Moldova to save USD 25-254 million by 2015. At the same time, the losses for Transnistria amounted to USD 842 million because of ignoring the project on gas import from Kazakhstan.

The relevant research of IDIS Viitorul recommends revising the governmental strategies in the field of energy safety; carrying out the interconnection of the national system of gas pipelines with Romanian one; diversifying the fuel resources in order to reduce the share of natural gas in the national energy sector, etc.