July 5 (SeeNews) - Moldova's energy regulator ANRE said it has approved a 340 million lei ($17.5 million/ 17 million euro) investment plan by utility company Moldovagaz for an expansion of the natural gas transmission network.
Moldova plans to expand its natural gas transmission network by 358 km between 2023 and 2025, ANRE said in a press release on Friday.
At the end of 2021, Moldova's natural gas transportation network was 1,682 km in length, according to data available on ANRE's website. The network is operated by Moldovatransgaz and Vestmoldtransgaz.
According to data published in ANRE's 2021 activity report, some 62% of Moldova's territory, or 951 localities, is currently served by a natural gas transmission pipeline.
In June, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced it is providing a 300 million euro loan ($315 million) to Moldova to boost its energy security by acquiring strategic gas reserves to supplement those currently provided by Russia through Ukraine.
The financing will cover up to one-fifth of Moldova’s planned gas imports for 2022, which are vulnerable to potential interruption as a result of the war on Ukraine, the EBRD also said at the time. Currently these imports all come from the Russian company Gazprom, under a contract that expires in 2026, according to the EBRD.
(1 euro=19.9956 lei)