Moldova will during the first two days of April receive US natural gas supplies via Gastrade’s FSRU-based LNG import terminal off Greece’s Alexandroupolis, according to Moldova’s state-owned energy firm Energocom.
Energocom said in a statement it purchased these test volumes from Greece’s Depa and sold them to compatriot gas supplier Moldovagaz for usage in households.
“On Monday and Tuesday, we will purchase 14,000 MWh of natural gas each day at the port of Alexandroupolis. There are about 28,000 MWh in total, which is equivalent to 2.6 million cubic meters of gas,” Victor Binzari, Energocom’s acting director said in the statement.
He said that the price is “competitive” and if the company agrees on a deal for the continuation of this collaboration, it “will notify the citizens in the near future”.
Binzari said that diversification of gas sources will further strengthen the country’s energy security and prepare market operators, as the Russian gas transit contract through Ukraine expires at the end of 2024 and the neighboring country has said it will not negotiate an extension.
Moldova is bounded by Ukraine to the north, east, and south, and by Romania to the west.
First Greek FSRU
In April last year, Energocom signed a framework contract with DEPA as part of its plans to import LNG via Greece.
DEPA is a shareholder in Gastrade and previously said that it brought a commissioning cargo to the 153,600-cbm FSRU Alexandroupolis.
The 2018-built 174,000-cbm LNG carrier, GasLog Hong Kong, delivered on February 18 the commissioning cargo from the US to the FSRU.
The LNG carrier, chartered by France’s TotalEnergies, brought the shipment from Sempra’s Cameron LNG plant in Louisiana.
Following completion of the ship-to-ship LNG transfer, GasLog Hong Kong left the FSRU on February 27.
Gastrade told LNG Prime on February 29 that it expects to launch commercial operations at its FSRU-based LNG import terminal by the end of April.
The FSRU is located in the sea of Thrace at a distance of 17.6 km SW from the port of Alexandroupolis and 10 km from the nearest coast of Makri.
Also, it is connected to a high-pressure subsea and onshore gas transmission pipeline.
The pipeline will deliver natural gas to the Greek transmission system and onwards to the final consumers in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia and further to Moldova and Ukraine to the East and Hungary and Slovakia to the West, Gastrade previously said.
The Alexandroupolis LNG terminal will have a capacity of 5.5 Bcm.
This is Greece’s first FSRU and the second LNG import facility, adding to DESFA’s import terminal located on the island of Revithoussa.