Moldova receives permission to import electricity from EU under Ukraine's quota

Moldova has been allowed to increase its quota for electricity imports from the EU amid a possible shortage that will arise if Russian gas supplies to Transnistria, a Russian-backed breakaway region, are cut off.

Source: Constantin Borosan, Moldova's State Secretary within the Ministry of Energy, as reported by European Pravda, citing the Moldovan news outlet Newsmaker

Details: If Russian gas supplies to the unrecognised Transnistria region are entirely cut off from 1 January 2025, Moldova may face an electricity shortage, as supplies from local thermal power plants will cease.

Borosan stated that a mechanism to increase the possibility of electricity imports had been established with support from the EU, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), and electricity transmission operators in Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

The solution involves utilising the unused capacity of Moldova and Ukraine's joint quota for electricity imports from the EU and leveraging the 110 kW power lines between Moldova and Romania. According to Borosan, Moldova can transport more than 100 MW of electricity through these lines.

Moldova and Ukraine share a joint quota of 2,100 MW for electricity imports from the EU, with 315 MW allocated to Moldova and the remainder to Ukraine. This quota is distributed via a 400 kW transmission line that runs from Romania's Isaccea through Ukraine's Odesa Oblast and into Moldova's Vulcănești. From there, European electricity is transmitted to Transnistria and then to the right bank of the Dnister River in Moldova.

In the updated plan presented by Borosan, Moldova's electricity import share from the EU is set at 400 MW. Of this, 200 MW will come through direct contracts with Romanian energy companies Nuclearelectrica and Petrom, while another 200 MW will be sourced through the Romanian OPCOM exchange. Under this scenario, Moldova's Ministry of Energy projects that the electricity shortage during peak hours will be around 60 MW.

Background:

• Moldova has been under a state of emergency in the energy sector since 16 December, a measure set to last for 60 days. The government took this step due to the uncertainty surrounding Russian gas supplies following the suspension of transit through Ukraine starting on 1 January 2025.
• The Moldovan government has acknowledged that it will evacuate the most vulnerable residents from Transnistria if the worst-case scenario of the energy crisis occurs and the region is cut off from Russian gas supplies.
• The EU is preparing financial assistance to Moldova if Russia cuts off gas supplies on 1 January 2025.

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