BUCHAREST, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Moldovan Parliament on Thursday instituted a 60-day state of emergency in the energy sector due to a possible suspension of gas supplies by Russian energy giant Gazprom.
Under the Parliament's decision, during the state of emergency, the National Commission for Exceptional Situations, as the responsible administrative authority, has additional prerogatives and would carry out actions needed to prevent, diminish and liquidate the consequences triggering the emergency state.
Thus, the Commission may order, if necessary, the rationalization of the consumption of natural gas and other energy resources; it may also establish rapid instruments for collecting payments from consumers, decide on a special regime for the rapid purchase of natural gas, and allocate financial resources for ensuring the purchasing of the needed volumes of natural gas.
Gazprom requested payment in advance and rejected a request to reschedule the January gas payment made by local Moldovagaz, which does not have all the necessary financial resources. In these conditions, Gazprom warned to suspend the gas delivery to Moldova from Jan. 21, according to local IPN Press Agency.
Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, when explaining the government's request to declare a state of emergency, told the Parliament that this was the first time that Gazprom had used the contractual provision on the advance payment, although it had been in force for several years.
According to the prime minister, Moldovagaz has to pay, by Jan. 20, a 50-percent advance, or about 63 million U.S. dollars, for the first month of the year, but the company has only 38 million.
In the previous years, Gazprom allowed Moldovagaz to accumulate negative deviations in winter and to pay them later in the next months, according to the reports by local media in Chisinau, capital of Moldova.
The state of emergency due to the gas deficit was also declared in the country sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine last autumn, when the contract with Gazprom had not been extended and Gazprom had reduced deliveries. ■