Gazprom to Halt Gas Supply to Moldova Starting January 1st

Gazprom announced that it will halt gas supplies to Moldova starting January 1, citing unpaid debts. In an online statement, Gazprom reserved the right to take further steps, including terminating its contract with Moldovagaz, Moldova's main gas operator in which the Russian company holds a majority stake.

The gas cutoff will also suspend shipments to the Kuciurgan power plant, the largest in the country, located in the separatist pro-Russian Transnistria region. Moldova responded by accusing Moscow of weaponizing energy resources.

Gazprom supplies the Kuciurgan plant, which provides electricity to a significant portion of Moldova and operates on natural gas. The plant was privatized by Transnistrian authorities in 2004 and was subsequently sold to a Russian state company. Moldova, which has a pro-Western central government and has repeatedly complained about Russian interventions, does not recognize the privatization. Earlier this month, the Moldovan parliament voted to declare a state of emergency in the energy sector amid concerns that Russia could leave Moldova without sufficient energy this winter.

A special commission has also been established to manage "imminent risks" in the event that Moscow halts gas deliveries to the Kuciurgan plant, and on Friday, a series of measures aimed at energy conservation were approved.