News about Gas

Operation Project Freedom began this morning in the Persian Gulf. On the personal orders of President Donald Trump, U.S. and international coalition forces began removing hundreds of foreign ships trapped in the largest maritime crisis of the decade.

The government plans to raise the minimum amount of strategic natural gas reserves from 50 million to 56.3 million cubic meters.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan said he doubts that the project of complete substitution of Russian gas with American LNG is economically sound because it requires serious infrastructure costs.

“Moldova does not rely on one source or one route. We are building step by step a balanced and reliable energy supply portfolio that will ensure stability and predictability. It is crucial for us that this diversification is done at a sustainable price and that the security of supply for citizens remains an absolute priority,” Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu said.

The war against Iran has fueled British interest in heat pumps. They reduce the dependence of Europeans on volatile gas prices, although they have become embroiled in political and cultural disputes over carbon neutrality (net zero).

Ukraine is ready to hold trilateral talks with Russia on the territory of Azerbaijan on condition of “Russia’s readiness for diplomacy”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this during his working visit to Azerbaijan on 25 April.

The crisis in the Middle East has brought the US into the center of the global oil and gas trade. Disruptions in supplies from the region have triggered a sharp rise in demand for American energy resources, which has already reached historic highs.

The investigation into the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022 is still ongoing. German authorities suspect a group of Ukrainians in this sabotage, one suspect was detained in Italy and extradited to Germany. Investigative journalist Bojan Panchevski offers a new version – he claims that he personally met with the organizers and perpetrators and learned how the operation was planned and carried out.

Turkey has become the 4th largest deepwater drilling fleet in the world and is now independently searching for natural gas and oil in its own seas.

The discovery of a gas field off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast coincided with a critical moment in the war in Iran.

Romania no longer supplies gas to Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called an emergency meeting of the defense council after a conversation with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Logos Press reports, citing RBC.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban by telephone that explosives had been found near a gas pipeline from Serbia to Hungary.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni went on an unannounced visit to the Persian Gulf countries. She became the first Western leader to visit the Gulf states since the start of the Iran war.

With the outbreak of war in Iran, the gas market has entered a phase of uncertainty and sharp price increases, which makes building gas reserves for winter problematic for many countries, including Moldova.

Moldova needs to reduce energy consumption, as the country does not have its own energy resources and the only sustainable way is to reduce it. This was stated by Caroline Novak, State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, at the Smart Cities Moldova 2026 conference.

At an extraordinary meeting on Friday, the Romanian government approved a draft emergency decree aimed at reducing the excise tax on diesel fuel by 30 bani (about 1 Moldovan leu), which will directly reduce the price at gas stations.

The National Crisis Management Center says the energy sector remains volatile and lifting the state of emergency requires caution.

From April 1, 2026, all large natural gas consumers are obliged to enter the free market and buy gas, including through exchange mechanisms.

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has paralyzed maritime transport, causing ad hoc fertilizer shortages and a spike in energy prices. However, for the potato and ‘chip’ industry worldwide, this means sharply reduced margins and operational uncertainty for the whole of the coming season. The crisis will definitely affect the Moldovan potato industry.