Moldovan energy minister participates in Ministerial Meeting of Advisory Council of Southern Gas Corridor

Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu has held high-level discussions with European and Azerbaijani officials, including the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, Azerbaijan's Minister of the Economy, Mikayil Jabbarov, and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Parviz Shahbazov, on the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting of the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor, held in Baku.

The discussions focused on the progress made by Moldova in diversifying its natural gas supply, strengthening energy independence and developing the energy sector, in the context of increasing renewable energy production and implementing energy efficiency measures with the support of development partners.

During a meeting with the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, the official reiterated Moldova's firm commitment to integrate its energy sector into the European Single Market and thanked the European Union for its consistent support, including the quick intervention to overcome the energy crisis triggered by Russia in last winter. The minister reiterated that the prompt intervention of European partners had prevented a humanitarian crisis in the Transnistrian region.

"We appreciate the continuous support on behalf of the European Union and are confident that, together, we will succeed in eliminating dependence on a single energy supplier and fully integrate the local energy markets into the European market by 2030, which will provide Moldova a notable boost for economic development," said Dorin Junghietu during the meeting with the European official.

The European Commissioner welcomed the country's significant progress in fulfilling EU conditions in the energy sector and reaffirmed the proposed financial support under the Growth Plan for Moldova, amounting to 250 million euros.

The parties also welcomed the approval of the Action Plan for strengthening energy independence, a document developed by the Ministry of Energy, which includes actions to enhance the resilience of Moldova's energy sector and eliminate dependency on energy supplies from Russia, both in the electricity sector and in natural gas and petroleum products.

This objective was assumed through the signing of the Letter of Intent between the government of Moldova and the European Commission.

Commissioner Dan Jørgensen reaffirmed the importance of the EU-Moldova High-Level Energy Dialogue meeting, due to take place in Chisinau in next June, marking another essential step in strengthening energy relations between Moldova and the EU.

During the meeting with the Minister of the Economy of Azerbaijan, Mikayil Jabbarov, the parties discussed the joint activity of the two countries in the economic sector, possibilities for collaboration in Azerbaijan's renewable energy projects and initiatives.

Dorin Junghietu invited Azerbaijani companies to participate in a new round of tenders for the status of large eligible energy producer, which will also include a battery energy storage system (BESS), in order to increase the grid stability and reduce imbalances.

During discussions with Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan, Parviz Shahbazov, the Moldovan official reiterated Moldova's interest in diversifying gas supply sources, including through cooperation with Azerbaijan.

The sides discussed possibilities for cooperation with SOCAR for the export of petroleum products and natural gas, as well as attracting Azerbaijani investors to the Moldovan market.

Topics on the agenda of green energy cooperation projects were also addressed, including the Green Energy Corridor, which will transport electricity produced from renewable sources along the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania-Hungary axis.

Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu invited Azerbaijani companies to assess opportunities to export petroleum products and natural gas to Moldova at competitive prices, compared to other countries in the region.