Moldova might cover quarter of gas consumption from Neptun Deep; energy minister says lower costs to be reflected in tariffs

Moldova is expected to cover approximately one quarter of its daily natural gas consumption from the Neptun Deep deposit in the Black Sea once extraction starts, estimated for the end of 2027. The gas will be purchased under the contract signed last year between the Energocom company and Romania’s OMV Petrom, with the price calculated according to market indicators. Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu has made statements to this effect on Radio Moldova.

According to the official, the pricing formula provides for a discount compared with market indicators, but its value cannot be made public, in order not to expose Energocom’s procurement strategy.

“The volumes were made public last year. We are talking about approximately one quarter of our daily gas consumption. This is the contract signed last year between Energocom and Romania’s OMV Petrom. The pricing formula is also based on market indicators, at a discount. We cannot, of course, make the discount public, because it is not so much a matter of confidentiality as it is about exposing Energocom’s procurement strategy and that would not be advisable,” Dorin Junghietu said.

The minister noted that the advantage of supplies from Neptun Deep also lied in lower transportation costs, which could contribute to reducing tariffs for final consumers.

“Automatically, if the cost of gas—which accounts for the largest share of the final tariff paid by citizens—is lower, and if transportation costs are lower, this will, of course, be reflected in the tariff paid by citizens,” the minister noted.

In the context, Dorin Junghietu referred to the amendments to the Gas Law, which provide for tariffs to be adjusted quarterly instead of once a year or when significant negative deviations accumulate. According to him, the measure would allow both potential cost increases and cost reductions to be reflected more quickly in consumers’ bills.

Moldova, through the state-owned company Energocom, has signed a three-year contract with Romania’s OMV Petrom to purchase natural gas extracted from the Neptun Deep block in the Black Sea. The agreement was signed on May 7, 2025, and represents Energocom’s first long-term purchase contract with this supplier.

Neptun Deep is Romania’s largest natural gas extraction project and the country’s first deep-sea offshore project. The deposit is located in the Black Sea, approximately 160 kilometers from the shore, in Romanian territorial waters.