Almost all industrial enterprises in the Moldovan Transnistria have stopped working, except for food and beverage enterprises, said the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development of the republic, Sergei Obolonik, reports the portal "News of Transnistria".
The reason is the suspension of gas supplies and the resulting energy shortage.
The crisis is so severe that there is no need to list which enterprises have stopped. We are talking about all industrial enterprises, with the exception of those that ensure food security in Transnistria," he said.
Obolonik stressed that the state will support enterprises so that they can deliver their finished products. According to him, by January 5 it will be clear how much energy the household sector consumes. Based on the balance, the authorities will understand how much can be "drained" for the needs of industry.
So far, the development of the situation is manageable and corresponds to the forecasts, but the problem is of such a global nature that if it is not resolved for a long time, we will get irreversible changes. This means that enterprises will lose their ability to start again,“ concluded Obolonik.
Since January 1, Russia has stopped the transit of gas through Ukraine. Against this background, supplies to Transnistria, whose territory acted as a transit, were stopped. Due to the lack of gas, the Moldovan State Regional Power Plant (its available capacity is 1.72 thousand MW), which is located in Transnistria and is owned by the Russian company Inter RAO, switched to coal, and its reserves will last approximately until February 20.
Obolonik said that before the suspension of transit, Transnistria managed to receive the necessary volume of gas and the reserve is 13 million cubic meters.
“This is for hospitals, public catering, shops, high-rise buildings (only for cooking). In the south, there will be enough reserves for 20 days, in the north - up to 10, provided that it is used sparingly,“ the Deputy Prime Minister noted.
In the fall of 2021, the gas contract between "Gazprom" and "Moldovagaz" was extended for five years.
According to him, Chisinau had to repay the debt for past deliveries. "Gazprom" then estimated it, taking into account overdue payments, at $709 million, blaming Transnistria for the formation of the debt, which, according to the Russians, has not paid for deliveries for years.
Last fall, Chisinau conducted an independent audit that did not reveal any debt. "Gazprom" considers the audit invalid, since the supervisory board of "Moldovgaz" itself did not agree with it and the majority of its members stressed that the document did not comply with international standards.