This was reported in an interview Vadim Ceban, acting Chairman of the Board of JSC “Moldovagaz”, told Logos Press. He noted that this factor will definitely affect the prices.
At the same time, he admitted that liberalization has not led to market stability. “Unfortunately, Moldova has not yet reached the phase when market liberalization and the presence of a large number of players becomes a factor of stability, sustainability and predictability. This applies both to natural gas and electricity,” Vadim Ceban said.
He explained that there are many reasons for this. There are objective ones, such as the turbulence on the world markets, but there are also internal factors, which the Moldovan authorities are obliged to see and eliminate.
When asked what he meant, the head of Moldovagaz said: “First of all, the work of the BRM East platform, which should become an indicator of pricing and a guarantor of free access to the market of wholesale supplies. We have a paradoxical situation: the stock exchange works, but it is not a price benchmark. The indicator is the quotations of regional markets, and lately it has been Energocom’s offer as one of the key players in the procurement and supply of gas and electricity”.
When not all are equal
Vadim Cheban emphasized that there would be nothing objectionable in such a situation if the state-owned company was not in a privileged position. And this is what many market participants are talking about. “Energocom” enjoyed privileges from the state when importing, which other companies do not have. In addition, under government guarantees, the company has received in the past and may receive in the future loans for the purchase of natural gas.
“I repeat and I want to be correctly understood: in today’s conditions, these are most likely necessary steps. But when we talk about the free market, we must clearly understand that this situation distorts the market and puts players in unequal conditions. Energocom itself should realize this, but most importantly, NRATI should take this into account when making certain decisions,” said Vadim Cheban.
And he added a very important aspect: with the withdrawal of the license from JSC “Moldovagaz”, the exchange lost 90% of transactions, which led to the fact that it is no longer a reference point for the market, but a mechanism for buying and selling gas. Although these were not the goals when the BRM East platform was created.
