Moldova's state-owned energy company Energocom will import electricity from Romania and Ukraine to cover the shortfall caused by Russia's halt of gas supplies, NewsMaker media outlet reported on Jan. 1.
Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom suspended gas supplies to Moldova on Jan. 1, allegedly because of the debt of the Moldovagaz gas transportation company. The halt of gas supplies resulted in a heating outage in Moldova's Russian-controlled region of Transnistria, prompting Chisinau to seek alternative sources of electricity.
While the EU has made efforts to reduce dependency on Russian fossil fuels following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, some countries, including Moldova, Slovakia, and Hungary, have remained reliant on Russian gas.
Most of Moldova's electricity needs, 62%, will be covered by imports from Romania, which Chisinau will start receiving in January. About 30% will be covered by thermal power plants and local renewable energy producers, according to NewsMaker.
Moldova will also import electricity from Ukraine. Energocom told the media it would import electricity from Ukraine's state nuclear energy operator, Energoatom, at night when consumption is lower and there is a surplus of resources.
In mid-December, a state of emergency was declared in Moldova, partly due to uncertainty over further Russian gas supplies in 2025.
The Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom has supplied 5.7 million cubic meters of gas to Moldova since the end of 2022. The entire volume of gas was sent to the Russian-controlled region of Transnistria, where it was used for domestic needs and to generate electricity at the Moldovan hydroelectric power plant, which powered both banks of the Dnister River.
Gazprom suspended gas supplies to Moldova on Jan. 1, allegedly because of the debt of the Moldovagaz, which was not confirmed by an international audit, according to NewsMaker.
In response to Moscow's decision, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean accused the Kremlin of using energy as a "political weapon."
In a separate move on Jan. 1, Ukraine terminated the transit of Russian gas through Ukrainian territory. Kyiv has repeatedly warned that it would not extend the transit agreement when it expires at the end of 2024 because it did not want to finance Russia's war.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the termination of gas transfer "one of Moscow's biggest defeats" on Jan. 1.
Zelensky added that one of the main European allies' current tasks is to support Moldova in its energy transformation.
"The more gas from Europe's true partners is available on the market, the sooner the last negative consequences of European energy dependence on Russia will be overcome," Zelensky said.
Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, lies between Ukraine and EU member Romania. As an EU candidate, it aims for membership by 2030 but remains committed to its neutral status. Moldova does not intend to join NATO but plans to strengthen partnerships with various countries and international organizations to bolster its defense capabilities.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 heightened Moldova's security concerns, with drone fragments landing on its territory and missiles targeting Ukraine passing through its airspace.
Pro-Western President Maia Sandu, re-elected last month, albeit with a narrower margin than expected, accused Russia of attempting to destabilize her government.
Katie Marie Davies
