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Romania will help Moldova overcome its energy crisis, Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja announced after Chisinau declared a state of emergency after Russia cut off gas transit through Ukraine at the end of the year.
Bucharest’s offer of assistance came after Moldova’s parliament on Thursday declared a 60-day state of emergency in the energy sector, starting on Monday, at the request of Prime Minister Dorin Recean.
The decision followed the announcement that Russian gas transit through Ukraine would cease by the end of the year. This threatened the energy supply of the separatist region of Transnistria, which relies on Gazprom imports.
Bucharest can “lend its support” to help Chisinau get through the winter, said Burduja on Friday afternoon, adding that Romanian energy companies Nuclearelectrica and Hidroelectrica were already in talks with Moldova’s Energocom to explore options for supplying additional electricity.
The Romanian energy minister added that the country’s current net transfer capacity (NTC) for imports from Romania is 315 MW, and it is expected to increase to 395 MW by the end of this week.
Burduja added that Romania, which has sufficient natural gas reserves, is “prepared to consider priority extraction options” to mitigate the impact on Transnistria.
In the event that the Cuciurgan thermal power plant ceases to produce energy, Romania is ready “with the support of European partners” to help Moldova meet the estimated 600 MW shortfall. This support will include “coordinated solutions at the government level and the use of available resources”, Burduja added.
On 11 December, the separatist region declared an economic emergency and introduced crisis measures, such as establishing local emergency response teams, securing wood supplies, setting up heating stations with hot food, and restricting medical treatment to urgent cases.
Meanwhile, Moldovagaz has announced the procurement of 100% of the natural gas needed for the October 2024-March 2025 heating season for the rest of Moldova.
Moldova’s Recean also expressed optimism about ending energy dependence on Russia, saying, “We will put an end to energy blackmail with the completion of the high-voltage power line under construction between Chisinau and Romania”.
He also urged Transnistrians to give up the “illusion” that “Russia cares for or protects them”.
(Catalina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)
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