Energy Minister Junghietu assures fuel security despite 60-day emergency status
The Moldovan government has declared a 60-day state of energy alert effective March 4, responding to extreme market volatility caused by the Middle East conflict.
Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu assured the public on Tuesday evening that the country maintains sufficient fuel reserves to prevent any immediate shortages. Current stocks cover approximately 23 days of gasoline and 12 days of diesel consumption.
Minister Junghietu acknowledged the recent surge in consumer demand, attributing it to global instability. He emphasized that as a country fully dependent on imports, Moldova is highly sensitive to international price fluctuations.
The National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) continues to apply a mitigation mechanism to prevent price shocks. This tool ensures that price hikes are reflected gradually at the pump rather than all at once.
Despite these measures, diesel prices have increased by €0.11 (approx. 2.15 MDL) per liter within a single week. The Minister noted that forecasting future trends remains difficult given the unpredictable nature of the geopolitical situation.
To safeguard domestic supply, the Customs Service has restricted fuel exports from the Giurgiulești International Free Port. Exports are now only permitted if reserves exceed 8,000 tons for gasoline and 25,000 tons for diesel.
Additional fuel shipments, including a diesel barge, are expected to arrive in the coming days. The Ministry maintains that regional supply remains stable despite the ongoing volatility in global oil benchmarks.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
