Minister of Energy Dorin Junghietu attended the Transatlantic Gas Security Summit in Washington, a high-level event dedicated to strengthening energy security and transatlantic cooperation in the natural gas sector.

The summit brought together senior leaders and officials from the United States and the European Union, including Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior and Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council; Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy and Vice-Chair of the same council; and Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director-General for Energy at the European Commission.

The agenda included panels on the future of U.S.–Europe energy relations, strengthening the transatlantic partnership, financing the energy sector in the context of risk reduction and deregulation, as well as the role of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in new technological transformations, including the development of artificial intelligence.

Participants committed to enhancing the resilience of natural gas markets by fully utilizing existing infrastructure and implementing expansions where necessary to increase supply and create economies of scale, aiming to achieve strategic energy objectives.

Minister Junghietu signed, on behalf of the Republic of Moldova, the summit’s final declaration, in which participants pledged to promote transparent and non-discriminatory access to gas infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe, strengthen gas supply security for signatories, increase market transparency, harmonize gas markets and exchanges, promote efficient and cost-effective tariff frameworks, and mitigate—or where possible, eliminate—regulations that could hinder gas imports, the construction of new gas infrastructure, and the long-term stability of gas trade.

During the summit, Minister Dorin Junghietu emphasized the importance of strategic cooperation with the United States for the energy security of Moldova and the Central and Eastern European region.

“The energy partnership with the United States is essential for strengthening energy security in Central and Eastern Europe. U.S. LNG provides a real and competitive alternative, contributing to the diversification of supply sources and reducing traditional dependencies. For Moldova, the development of the Vertical Gas Corridor and integration into regional gas flows represent concrete steps toward a safer, more flexible, and better-connected market within the European space,” stated Dorin Junghietu.

The Minister highlighted the viability of the Vertical Gas Corridor, noting that in the latest monthly auction on Route 1, record transport capacities of 2.4 million m³/day were reserved, effective from March 2026.

The summit participation takes place in the context of Moldova’s ongoing efforts to strengthen energy security and diversify supply sources. A concrete example is the import of 40 million m³ of U.S. LNG through the Alexandroupolis terminal in Greece, arriving in the first tanks immediately after the terminal’s commissioning.

It is noted that Moldova and Ukraine joined the Vertical Gas Corridor in 2024, which currently also includes Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. Launched in 2016, the Vertical Corridor now integrates the Trans-Balkan pipeline and enables gas transport from Greece to Moldova and the underground storage facilities in Ukraine. The pipeline can carry both pipeline gas from Azerbaijan and LNG, including from the United States, via the Greek terminals Revythoussa and Alexandroupolis.

Historically, the Trans-Balkan pipeline transported Russian gas to the Balkans through Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania, but became inactive after Russia redirected exports in 2020 through TurkStream 1 and 2. A significant portion of the Trans-Balkan transport capacity remains underutilized despite growing demand for south-to-north gas flows toward Ukraine.

To encourage the use of this route, a unique transport product has been created on the corridor, providing a transport tariff discount of 25% in Greece and Bulgaria, 50% in Romania and Moldova, and 46% in Ukraine, on the condition that gas is transported through a series of dedicated points directly to underground storage facilities in Ukraine.