--- title: "Parliament declares a 60-day state of emergency starting September 26" url: https://radiomoldova.md/p/85641/parliament-declares-a-60-day-state-of-emergency-starting-september-26 published: 2026-09-22T16:56:13Z language: en author: "Elena Munteanu" section: "Political" source: radiomoldova.md --- # Parliament declares a 60-day state of emergency starting September 26 > At the Government's proposal, Parliament voted to declare a nationwide state of emergency in the energy and water sectors for 60 days, starting September 26. Supported by 54 MPs, the measure will allow the Executive to intervene quickly in the event of disruptions to energy, fuel, and water supplies. ![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/a2ed817d-e74d-46a7-a789-77c0879cf62f.jpg) At the Government's proposal, Parliament voted to declare a nationwide state of emergency in the energy and water sectors for 60 days, starting September 26. Supported by 54 MPs, the measure will allow the Executive to intervene quickly in the event of disruptions to energy, fuel, and water supplies. ## Prime Minister: "With the right tools, we can stabilize the situation" The Republic of Moldova is not facing a situation where it might run out of gas, fuel, electricity, or water tomorrow. On the contrary, several difficult situations have been stabilized over the past two months. However, the issue lies in overlapping risks that require targeted intervention, Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said. He went to Parliament on Tuesday to request the declaration of a state of emergency. Vasile Tofan emphasized that the Republic of Moldova has already secured contracts for over 90% of the gas volumes needed for the winter. However, this does not mean the final price is fixed, as it will depend on market trends at the time of delivery. **Price hikes in the gas market** The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, the Prime Minister noted, has been disrupting one of the world's most important hydrocarbon export routes for over six months. Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, which carried between 4 and 5 million barrels of oil daily, was also damaged. Meanwhile, attacks on Ras Laffan in Qatar knocked out about 70% of global liquefied gas export capacity. *"The consequence is directly reflected in prices. In the first half of September, the European TTF gas price reached approximately 84 euros per MWh—or, to use the pricing terms more familiar in Moldova, over 1,000 dollars per thousand cubic meters. This is 50% higher than the benchmark used to calculate the current tariff, which had already been raised,"* Vasile Tofan stated during the plenary session. **Pressures on the fuel market** A second major risk the Prime Minister mentioned concerns fuel procurement. Production capacities have been damaged or taken offline in both the Middle East and Russia. At the same time, diesel exports from the Middle East have dropped sharply, and international prices have hit record highs. *“Diesel prices in the Mediterranean basin have surpassed $1,650. We already felt the impact of this issue in August. Diesel stocks dropped to less than four days’ supply—specifically 3.8 days—and 109 gas stations reported shortages. We intervened, and today we have approximately 10 days of stock, while the number of stations facing issues has dropped from 109 to eight. This demonstrates two things: first, that the risk is real; and second, that when the state possesses the necessary tools and intervenes in a timely manner, we can stabilize the situation,”* the Prime Minister stated. **Water supply and energy security** Vasile Tofan also highlighted the risk of water shortages. According to the Prime Minister, the drought is no longer merely an agricultural issue; it has also become a matter of water supply and energy security. Water levels in the Nistru River have dropped alarmingly in recent weeks. *“Less water means less available energy, precisely as we enter the months when we need to import more. At Costești—closer to home, on the Prut River—hydroelectric generation has fallen by approximately 55% due to the drought. Water and energy are interconnected. If major pumping stations lose electricity for several hours, an energy issue can very quickly escalate into a humanitarian crisis regarding the water supply for Chișinău or Bălți,”* the head of the Executive noted. **Regional energy deficit and limited import capacities** Ukraine still manages to export energy to the Republic of Moldova, says Vasile Tofan; however, he warns that energy security during the cold season cannot be built on the assumption that the situation will remain unchanged. The Ukrainian energy system has already suffered massive damage due to Russian attacks. *"According to our assessments, while Ukraine had an installed electrical capacity of around 70 GW before the war, today that capacity stands at 11–12 GW. This poses a major problem for the region's energy stability, and we face a structural electricity deficit of approximately 7 GW in our region,"* Tofan said. During peak hours, the Republic of Moldova requires imports ranging from 400 to 450 megawatts. On the Romanian side, capacity is limited to 360 MW. If Ukraine faces a harsh winter that further damages its generation capacity, the Republic of Moldova would be unable to import the necessary energy. *"These multiple risks are compounded by the fact that they do not exist in isolation. Gas affects district heating and electricity generation; water impacts hydroelectric power; electricity keeps water pumps running; the situation in Ukraine dictates how much power we can import; and diesel fuel affects transport, agriculture, logistics, and, ultimately, prices across the entire economy. If two or more of these risks were to materialize, we would be completely unprepared to respond to a truly major crisis,"* Vasile Tofan warned. **State of Emergency Tools** According to the Prime Minister, the state of alert—in effect until September 25—has enabled the state to intervene by requiring daily reporting on stock levels and import plans. Consequently, the Government was able to limit electricity exports during peak hours and establish fast-track customs lanes for fuel trucks, allowing diesel reserves to increase from less than four days' worth to ten days' worth. However, the mechanisms currently available to the Government are insufficient. *"We considered extending the state of alert, but we would lack the necessary tools should several of the risks we discussed materialize simultaneously. A state of emergency allows us to take further action where the state-of-alert framework is no longer adequate,"* the head of Government stated. Vasile Tofan noted that a state of emergency provides tools for the rapid procurement of equipment via expedited procedures in the event of damage to energy infrastructure—as occurred in March, when the damaged Vulcănești–Isaccea line was repaired in five days. Should there be a need to rapidly install storage systems, generators, or other emergency capacity, the state of emergency would allow the Executive to temporarily simplify procedures and permitting requirements. Furthermore, should the international shock affecting fuel or gas supplies become extreme, regulatory exemptions or tax reductions could be implemented. "These are backup tools. I hope we won't need them. But it would be irresponsible to enter the winter, seeing all these risks, and wait for a crisis to strike before coming to Parliament to ask for the tools we need. The request for a state of emergency is being made because we are entering a period where the risks are greater and more interconnected than what the state of alert allows us to handle," the Prime Minister noted. **Contracted stocks and planned purchases** Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu stated in Parliament that Energocom is required this year to secure strategic gas reserves totaling 56 million cubic meters. Of this amount, approximately 50 million cubic meters are already in underground storage facilities in Ukraine and Romania. Consequently, the supplier still needs to purchase around 6.3 million cubic meters by October 1. Additionally, Energocom is required to secure commercial stocks equivalent to 15% of volume by November 1. So far, 6 million cubic meters—representing nearly 10%—have been contracted; an additional 72.7 million cubic meters must be procured to reach the required level. The Government proposed declaring a state of emergency to Parliament following the National Security Council's decision on September 21.