Gas deliveries to the Transnistrian region could begin in February via "Turkish Stream"
Gas supplies to the Transnistrian region could be delivered through the Turkish Stream pipeline. According to information reported by Kommersant, on January 20, the Cypriot company Ozbor Enterprises reserved the capacity for 3.1 million cubic meters of gas per day at the Strandja-2 entry point, which is located on the border between Turkey and Bulgaria.
According to sources from Kommersant, efforts are underway to facilitate gas deliveries by April, with an estimated cost of around $160 million.
Certain segments of the gas pipeline, up to the Republic of Moldova, were not reserved during the monthly tender held on January 20. The unreserved segments include the entry point at the border between Bulgaria and Romania, the Romania-Ukraine segment (Isaccea–Orlovka), and the Romania-Moldova segment (Iasi–Chisinau gas pipeline). Monthly reservation tenders occur every third Monday of the month, and afterwards, volumes can be reserved daily; however, this option tends to be more expensive.
The Romanian portal Profit.Ro reported that Ozbor Enterprises is active in the local market as a gas importer and exporter. In April 2024, the company became a member of CEEGEX, the Hungarian gas market operator, according to CEEGEX. Gas marketing at Ozbor Enterprises is managed by Miroslav Stojanovic.
Additionally, the Ministry of Energy in Chisinau announced that Gazprom did not reserve any capacity for transporting natural gas on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline to the Transnistrian region for February, as of January 20.
It is important to note that Gazprom suspended natural gas supplies to the Transnistrian region beginning January 1. This decision resulted in widespread disconnections of gas, hot water, and heating services in most localities, including in the Security Zone, along with national power outages.
After several weeks of categorically rejecting offers of help from Chisinau, the administration in Tiraspol has now indicated a willingness to purchase natural gas through the Moldovagaz company. The Transnistrian leader, Vadim Krasnoselski, acknowledged that this is the only reliable solution for supplying light, heat, and gas to homes and social infrastructure.
