Transnistria has less than month of gas left, local authorities say
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Gas storage in Moldova's Russian-occupied region of Transnistria will last another 24 days after the halt of Russian supplies, local authorities said on Jan. 8.
Transnistria faces a major crisis after Russia's state-owned Gazprom company halted gas supplies to Moldova, citing alleged unpaid debt. While the government-held part of the country relies on EU energy supplies, the Transnistrian region, occupied by Russia since the 1990s, is still heavily dependent on Russia.
Sergei Obolonik, the deputy head of the region's executive branch, said that Transnistria faces not only an energy crisis but also a humanitarian one.
"The gas reserve of 13 million cubic meters enables us to supply several social institutions and other facilities crucial for the functioning of the society, as well as multi-residential buildings for cooking," the authorities said in a statement on a website.
The administration previously urged residents to use wood and stoves for heating to reduce gas consumption. The region also faces electricity deficits amid a surge in the use of electronic heaters and gas shortages in power stations.
The Dniester State District Power Plant, the region's largest power station, has switched to coal, though the authorities warned of possible risks of operating at full capacity due to the plant's obsolete equipment.
Nearly 72,000 homes and 1,500 high-rise buildings in Transnistria are without heating or hot water, according to Vadim Krasnoselsky, leader of the region’s Russian-backed administration.
Moldova previously offered to help Transnistria purchase gas through European platforms, but local Russian-backed authorities rejected the proposal, claiming Western energy prices are "higher and unstable."
