Prime Minister Dorin Recean about the state of emergency in the energy sector
Prime Minister Dorin Recean addressed the upcoming state of emergency in the energy sector, which will start on December 16. He announced that the parliamentary request procedure would be organised next week. The state of emergency shows a risk of partial or total interruptions in the supply of electricity and natural gas.
"This may require us to halt energy exports and implement necessary measures to minimize the impact of electricity outages on the population of the Republic of Moldova, particularly if there is a risk of losing electricity from the Cuciurgan Power Plant . Furthermore, as we approach January, the infrastructure in southeastern and eastern Ukraine is expected to be subjected to attacks from Russia. These developments could disrupt and lead to technical crises in the energy sector, necessitating government intervention and action, including regulations concerning private sector companies,” the Prime Minister said.
Prime Minister Recean outlined specific measures that energy market operators must follow. "Moldelectrica" is required to enhance interconnection capacity to import electricity when needed and prepare for interconnection scenarios on high-voltage lines with Romania. They must also coordinate with their Ukrainian counterparts regarding the logistics for the maintenance and repair of the Isaccea-Vulcănești high-voltage line within Ukraine. Additionally, "Energocom" must establish contingency contracts to ensure that citizens have access to electricity in case the Cuciurgan power plant is non-operational, along with similar agreements for gas supply.
Moreover, "Vestmoltransgaz" is tasked with increasing the volumes in the natural gas balancing account, coordinating with transmission systems and counterparts in Ukraine. "Termoelectrica" must develop plans to enhance electricity production capacity if the Cuciurgan power plant fails to operate.
We remind you that this is not the first time a state of emergency has been declared in the energy sector in Moldova. On October 22, 2021, Parliament declared a state of emergency due to an energy crisis, which lasted until November 20. A new state of emergency was declared on January 20, 2022, for 60 days but it was repealed on February 24, 2022. Subsequently, a new decision was enacted to declare a state of emergency for 60 days amid the war, which has since been extended until December 30, 2023.
In August of this year, the Ministry of Energy started the process to declare an early alert state in the natural gas market of the Republic of Moldova. This decision was made at the request of "Vestmoldtransgaz," following information from Kiev that gas interruptions from Russia could occur due to military operations in Kursk and Sudzha, which serve as logistics hubs for transporting gas from Russia, including into the Transnistrian region and Europe via Ukraine.
