Moldova already overpaid $330 mln for gas after cutting ties with Gazprom — ex-president

Moldova already overpaid $330 mln for gas after cutting ties with Gazprom — ex-president Igor Dodon noted that the republic had failed to secure favorable European pricing in its dealings with the EUCHISINAU, September 25. /TASS/. Moldova has overpaid roughly $330 million for gas over the last two and a half years alone after the country decided to cut ties Gazprom and chose to buy gas from the EU the EU at prices 40% higher, Igor Dodon, former Moldovan President and leader of the country's largest opposition Party of Socialists, said, posting calculation charts on his Telegram channel. "Moldova purchased gas at a price roughly 40% higher than the formula agreed upon and signed in autumn 2021 under the agreement with Gazprom, resulting in an overpayment of about $330 million over the last 2.5 years alone. Furthermore, the cumulative benefit of the Gazprom formula for the 2022-2026 period would have reached approximately $745 million had Chisinau not terminated the contract in late 2022," Dodon stressed. He noted that despite breaking long-standing agreements with Gazprom, the republic failed to secure favorable European pricing in its dealings with the EU. "Throughout the period under review, the formula agreed with Gazprom would have yielded an average price approximately 15% lower than the European average. However, after abandoning Gazprom, Moldova failed to consistently purchase gas even at the European average price. In many quarters, the actual purchase price exceeded both the Gazprom formula price and the European benchmark," Dodon added. He noted that, for this reason, Moldovan state-owned enterprise Energocom admitted it could not disclose full details of contracts and individual transactions due to confidentiality clauses. "Energy security relies on having multiple sources and options, not on rejecting an advantageous option to buy the same resources at a higher cost through opaque agreements," Dodon stressed, noting that the arrangement with Gazprom had helped avoid the price shocks the country is currently facing. Energy crisis in Moldova Moldova has been grappling with an energy crisis since President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity came to power and moved to sever ties with Russia. In 2021, gas tariffs skyrocketed sevenfold, driving annual inflation past 30% and sparking widespread protests. In response, the government claimed it had ended its dependence on Gazprom and began withholding gas purchase prices from the public. Gazprom was forced to halt supplies to Moldova in January 2025 after Ukraine banned transit through its territory and Chisinau refused to settle its fuel debt. The debt is estimated at $709 million according to the accounting records of the Russian-Moldovan joint venture Moldovagaz, and at approximately $500 million according to Moldova's Court of Auditors. The Moldovan opposition blames the pro-Western government for the crisis. Critics argue that the republic is currently purchasing the same Russian gas on European exchanges through numerous intermediaries, making it significantly more expensive. Furthermore, the country's gas transmission system was transferred to the management of Romanian company Vestmoldtransgaz, a move that resulted in higher gas transportation tariffs. 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