Ministry of Energy: Shocks in Ukraine’s Energy System Are Equally Affecting Us

Moldova and Ukraine are part of the same energy block, so the risks and shocks that the Ukrainian electricity system is experiencing are directly affecting our country. Carolina Novac, State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, spoke about this at a meeting of the Parliamentary Commission on Economy, Budget, and Finance, according to logos-press.md. “When we face crises, we cannot ignore the fact that we have a war on our border, and we are interconnected, we are in the same block with Ukraine. And then the risks, or rather the shocks that Ukraine experiences in terms of its electricity system, are equally reflected on us. When Ukraine loses 5,400 megawatts of generating capacity, when 11 million consumers are disconnected and have access to electricity for only 2 or 4 hours, of course, we are also affected by the instability of energy supplies,” Novac said. She recalled the situation on January 31, when there was a massive power outage in Moldova. “We saw this on January 31, when the Ukrainian system caused the electricity to be in emergency mode, when the Vulcanesti-MGRES power line failed and the protection system activated. This happened due to events in Ukraine, attacks on infrastructure, including generation, transmission, distribution, and installed capacity, as well as the power line itself,” said the State Secretary of the Ministry. According to her, the MGRES- Vulcanesti line is “morally and physically worn out” and requires maintenance. In this context, she emphasized, the construction of the Vulcanesti-Chisinau line is particularly important. “It needs to be completed as soon as possible, and it is planned to be completed at the end of March. The reason for the blockages we have encountered is, first of all, the weather conditions. It has been a harsh winter, and we have never experienced such severe conditions,” Novac said. She said that the work was being carried out at an accelerated pace. “The line was fully completed by the beginning of December 2025, and intensive work is also being carried out at the stations. The equipment, including four transformers, has already been delivered to the Chisinau station, and as soon as the weather conditions allow, we will make the most of the work,” said the State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy.