BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 7. Moldova seeks to
consolidate its energy independence by expanding its connections to
alternative supply routes, including through partnerships
facilitated by the Southern Gas Corridor, Dorin Junghietu, Minister
of Energy of the Republic of Moldova, said in an exclusive
interview with Trend on the sidelines of the 11th Southern Gas
Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and the 3rd Green
Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting in Baku.

“In recent years, the Republic of Moldova has experienced a
series of energy crises, starting in 2021, largely caused by
Russia’s actions, which have tested our resilience and energy
infrastructure. However, we have managed to turn these challenges
into opportunities, strengthening our energy security and
diversifying our sources of supply,” he said.

Junghietu recalled that Moldova was the first country to
commercially use the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector, and it was
among the first to benefit from the first LNG shipment arriving at
the Alexandroupolis terminal in Greece.

“We demonstrated the commercial viability of the vertical
corridor by transporting gas to underground storage facilities in
Ukraine. But of course, Moldova’s progress has been supported by
the strong solidarity and cooperation of our friends in the
European Union, Ukraine, and other development partners and without
their support, our journey would have been much more difficult. I
have to stress that today, Moldova is no longer an
energy-vulnerable or blackmail-prone state, and the existence of
alternative routes and sourses of supply were at the core of this
changes,” noted the minister.

He pointed out that Moldova is further interested in advancing
energy independence by diversifying routes and sources of
supply.

“To this end, we strongly support the expansion of the Southern
Gas Corridor (SGC) and its role in enhancing European energy
security. Moldova seeks to consolidate its energy independence by
expanding its connections to alternative supply routes, including
through partnerships facilitated by SGC. Moreover, through our
membership in the Central and South Eastern Europe Energy
Connectivity (CESEC) initiative, Moldova is now an active player in
the regional energy security architecture and a key transit country
in the Southern Gas Corridor and Trans-Balkan corridor,” said
Junghietu.

He noted that Moldova is certainly interested in importing gas
from Azerbaijan in order to diversify sources of supply, but
concrete details are to be discussed at technical levels.

“Natural gas will continue to play a crucial role in Moldova’s
energy mix. It is necessary for local generation and balancing
capacity for renewables. This is why we are particularly focused on
the vertical corridor as a key project for Moldova’s energy future.
The continued diversification of supply sources, including eventual
imports from Azerbaijan, will be critical in securing our energy
needs. We believe that the approval of a unified tariff for the
entire corridor will ensure its commercial attractiveness and make
the proposed models by Moldova, using the Ukraininan underground
storage facilities for Eastern Eauropean countries needs, a
reality. A single, transparent tariff structure will make the
corridor even more appealing for businesses and investors, ensuring
its long-term sustainability. Moldova appreciates Azerbaijan’s role
as a reliable energy partner and looks forward to strengthening
bilateral energy cooperation, as the relations between our
countries are excellent,” the minister explained.

As for the prospects for cooperation in the green energy sphere
with Azerbaijan, Junghietu noted that his country is interested in
participation in the Black Sea submarine electricity transmission
cable project.

“But also, we would welcome the participation of Azerbaijani
investors in the second RES auctions to be announced this year,”
Junghietu concluded.

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