"OLVIA-PRESS"

 

DNIESTRIA IS GETTING READY FOR THE HEATING SEASON.

 

Preparation to the heating season in Dniestria will be over by October 15th. The DMT minister of industry Anatoly Blashku informed journalists about that at today's press conference for representatives of the republican mass media.

Anatoly Blashku remarked that in summer, there was carried out a great work with preparation of heating network, of boilers, and other objects of heating and energy provision for the heating season. For example, at the Moldavian electric power station there was made storage of fuel oil and coal, in order to avoid problems in provision of population with electricity during autumn and winter period. Anatoly Blashku remarked, "There was no centralized delivery of money for carrying out reparation works to ministries and enterprises, they should use all resources, hot water, heating, and electricity will be delivered in centralized way". The heating season in the republic will presumably start in late October.

The DMR minister of industry also informed that hot water will be delivered from the start of the heating season up till November 10th, then since November 22nd, it will have been delivered three days each two weeks, and this will be during the whole heating season. Anatoly Blashku underlined that such a regime is optimal for our republic. It was calculated basing on demands of the population and on provision of economic security of the state under conditions of limited opportunity of importing natural gas.

By request of the journalists, the minister commented on information of the Moldavian mass media that the Joint Stock Company "Moldovagaz" had made some contract with the Russian-Israeli company "Hayrok"; this contract provides delivery of gas to Moldova beginning with July 1st by price of less than $60 for 1000 cubic meters. Anatoly Blashku declared that this information did not correspond to reality. The DMR minister of industry emphasized, "The JSC 'Moldovagaz' Chairman of Council Semion Furduy may have made any contract, but for today there is no single contract made also by the Supervisory Board of that company, the member of which I am, too. Consequently, all information that cheaper gas is being delivered in the RM is nothing but a PR trick".

By his words, the JSC "Moldovagaz" is busy with provision of both Moldova and Dniestria with natural gas. The price for gas in both the RM and DMR: $80 for 1000 cubic meters. The gas is being purchased from the Russian JSC "Gazprom". The minister of industry informed, "There are also commercial companies which offer natural gas by lower prices, but it's difficult to cooperate with because they demand 100% payment. However in the 4th quarter of 2002, we have to buy gas from one of these companies, because the Russian JSC "Gazprom" had not given limits for that term. We plan to make a contract on delivery of natural gas for Moldova as well as for the DMR in the 4th quarter of 2002, by price of about $60".

Anatoly Blashku also has more accurately considered the issue of raising tariffs for heating. The population has been paying $1.73 for a giga-calorie before, while now is will cost $5.1. Anatoly Blashku remarked, "such a tariff size was introduced in 1997, but as result of inflation it has reduced. Now are back again to these figures".

The minister of industry said more accurately that it was decided to divide the whole sum into 12 months of payment, so that new tariffs would not become an unbearable burden for the population; it was also decided to make payments for heating monthly, independently on the fact whether the heating season was over or not.

 

I.Letiaga