Moldova buys Greek gas to test new import routes
(Reuters) - Moldova, under constant threat of a reduction in Russian gas supplies, will buy a small amount of gas from Greece to test new import routes, state energy company Energocom said on Thursday.
The framework deal between Energocom and Greek state-controlled DEPA Commerciawas, was signed earlier this month.
Gas supplies have caused frequent tension between Moldova and Russia, with Moldova relying almost exclusively on Gazprom for gas imports and on Russian energy until late last year.
Energocom said it would buy around 2,250 cubic meters of gas at a price of €477 per 1,000 cubic meters and all the volume would be delivered to gas operator Moldovagaz.
"The purpose of buying gas from Greece is to see how the logistics chain works: reserving capacity in each country through which gas will be pumped - Greece, Bulgaria, Romania," Energocom said in a statement.
Moldova said last month it had resumed gas purchases from Gazprom after a break of about three months.
Since December, Gazprom had been providing supplies only to Moldova's Russian-backed Transdniestria separatist region, east of the Dniester river. None had gone to the part of Moldova west of the river, including the capital Chisinau.
The Eastern European country, wedged between Ukraine and European Union member Romania, has been pulled between Russia and the West since gaining independence from Moscow with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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