Borosan: Energy Deficit in Moldova May Reach 20%

In case Gazprom stops supplying gas to Transnistria, Moldova will face a deficit of about 170 MW/h, which is about 20% of the required volume, the state secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development said. According to him, if Gazprom stops supplying gas to the Transnistrian region from 1 January 2025, the Cuciurgan power plant (MoldGRES) will no longer be able to supply electricity from the left bank of the Dniester. In this case, even with the use of all internal energy sources and current import capabilities, the right bank will face a deficit of about 170 MW/h, which is about 20% of the required volume, jurnal.md reports. “From the commercial, contractual and technical points of view, there are opportunities for gas supplies by Gazprom to Transnistria. The next auction for gas transportation is scheduled for 31 December at 18:00. We have already faced similar situations when Gazprom did not reserve capacities. In 2008, in winter, gas transit to the EU was stopped, which also affected Moldova. In such cases, MoldGRES has to prepare coal-fired units to switch to them if gas supplies are not declared the next day. This means that electricity from the left bank will not be supplied to the right bank. Gas in the pipelines will be consumed, which will lead to a decrease in pressure, but it will take a few days,” Borosan explained. At the same time, the state secretary assured that there will be no interruptions in the supply of natural gas to the right bank. “As for gas, the entire necessary volume has already been purchased. In January, we even expect to have reserves, and these reserves will enable us to find alternative supplies. No interruptions with gas are expected,” Borosan emphasized. However, even with full utilization of all domestic electricity resources and current import capacity, there will remain a deficit of 170 MW/h against a total consumption of 900 MW/h. “We are discussing this issue with our partners from Romania and the EU. We have proposed a mechanism to increase electricity imports. We have already identified the possibility of redistributing capacity on the border between Poland and Ukraine, which will add 80 MW/h. Additionally, we have successfully tested four 110 kV lines linking us to Romania and are ready to use them to import another 110 MW/h. With winter peak consumption, which can be as high as 1000 MW/h, we can smooth out peak loads by saving energy and using it rationally to avoid high procurement costs. We already have a commercial contract with the Romanian company Nuclearelectrica,” Borosan added.