Moldovan Prime Minister Vasily Tofan warned of a difficult winter due to the energy crisis

Prime Minister of Moldova Vasily Tofan said that the coming winter will be a difficult period for the country amid the energy crisis.

He said this at the general political debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

CHISINAU, September 26 – RIA Novosti. The coming winter will be a difficult period for Moldova due to the energy crisis, said the country's Prime Minister Vasily Tofan, speaking at the general political debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

On Saturday, a state of emergency in the energy sector came into force in the republic for a period of 60 days, approved by parliament at an extraordinary meeting at the request of the government due to the threat of a shortage of energy resources. Earlier, during a speech in the Parliament of Moldova, Prime Minister Tofan called on his fellow citizens to count on warm weather in the upcoming heating season, noting that one can only pray that the winter does not turn out to be too harsh.

"Yes, we are in for a difficult winter. It is our duty as a government to prepare and help those who need it most. That is what we are working on and that is what we are discussing here with our partners," Tofan said.

Over the past few years, the energy sector of the republic has been operating in a state of emergency due to the risks of disruptions in fuel supplies and dependence on imported electricity. The situation is aggravated by the multiple increase in energy costs: if before the energy crisis the tariff was about four lei, then by autumn it exceeded 20 lei (about $1.15) per cubic meter.

From October 1, another round of gas price increases in Moldova is expected by about another 30% - up to 26 lei (about 1.5 dollars) per cubic meter. Experts and management of energy enterprises attribute the revision of tariffs to purchases by the state-owned company Energocom, which purchases fuel on the European spot market at a price of 800–830 euros (about $890–920) per thousand cubic meters instead of direct long-term contracts.