Here We Go Again: More Problems for Tofan’s Government

In the midst of the fuel and energy crisis, the threat of power outages looms once again over Moldova. However, the authorities’ calls for energy conservation were ignored

For the past week, unfavorable regional conditions in the EU electricity market have been prompting governments on the right bank of the Prut to take active measures to maintain stability in the energy sector. Against this backdrop, our leadership is once again limiting itself to proposing a solution that shifts the burden onto citizens, a proposal that has received a mixed response. In recent days, the media in neighboring Romania and Hungary have been flooded with reports about possible measures to minimize the impact of the energy crisis caused by another heat wave and record-low water levels in the Danube. The Romanian authorities’ plans, put forward for public discussion, to raise the water level in the intake area of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant have sparked a nationwide debate. Everyone watched with bated breath as the military carried out the operation to blast the Pyrzhoaya underwater rock in the Danube channel leading to the nuclear power plant – which has only one operational reactor – as well as the preparations to sink barges in the second channel. It can be said that Bolojan’s faltering government managed to achieve the impossible by mobilizing public attention and demonstrating its ability to take concrete, decisive action. Yes, it’s possible that this won’t be enough and the nuclear power plant will have to be shut down anyway. There’s a lot of criticism coming from across the Prut River; there isn’t complete solidarity among citizens in supporting the country during this time of crisis. Some are asking why Romania uses Canadian-made heavy-water reactors rather than Russian light-water equivalents, as in Bulgaria at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (which, despite similar problems, continues to operate at full capacity). Others are once again recalling the miscalculation of hastily shutting down coal-fired power plants to please Brussels and are perplexed by the continued pursuit of so-called “accelerated decarbonization.” Supporters of these ideas in parliament have even gone so far as to pass bills to restart coal-fired power plants and build new ones, which directly contradicts Romania’s commitments to the EU. Hungary has adopted a comprehensive package of measures in response to the shutdown of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant: a decree calling for large companies to voluntarily reduce their electricity consumption, and the suspension of rail freight transport during peak hours. Hungarians showed solidarity in response to the government’s call and reduced consumption by an average of 600-700 MWh, or 10-15%. It is worth emphasizing that this situation is truly unprecedented for both Romania and Hungary. The Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which supplies about half of the country’s electricity consumption, is being shut down for the first time in its 44-year history due to critically low water levels in the Danube. In neighboring Romania, the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant accounts for 20% of the energy balance, but its importance as a stable source of electricity generation is extremely high. Unlike our neighbors, nothing out of the ordinary has happened in our country. There is absolutely no power generation on the right bank that depends on the water level of the Dniester, but the risk of blackouts has once again become a major concern. Once again, we’re seeing routine announcements from officials about power shortages during peak hours, along with the now-tiresome references to the complex regional situation and calls to conserve energy. While on Tuesday the shortage lasted two hours at a level of 60-80 MWh, on Wednesday it lasted three hours with a shortfall of up to 130 MWh. And as of today, according to Prime Minister Vasile Tofan, “the situation looks very bad.” All independent journalists and government-affiliated experts are carrying out the “government mandate” to convey energy-saving messages to the public. How successful have they been? Judging by the evening consumption figures for the last two days, not very. On Tuesday evening, consumption exceeded 900 MWh, and on Wednesday, around 7:00 p.m., it reached 950 MWh. Neither Tofan’s statements nor Maia Sandu’s exhortations helped. Sandu’s messages contain less and less optimism and more and more frank helplessness. Acknowledging the fact that the continuation of conflicts and wars carries the risk of long-term negative consequences does not, alas, mean automatically adopting a balanced position. Frustrated by their own professional incompetence, numerous spokespeople began to express their resentment toward the citizens. This was followed by direct accusations of ingratitude and unreliability, and of the citizens’ inability to lend a helping hand to the state in its hour of need. This is clear evidence of the contemptuous attitude and sense of shame – imposed from outside – that Chisinau’s political and intellectual elite harbors toward its own population. It just keeps getting worse, and now the country’s citizens are facing not only accusations but also threats: for example, Tofan is already talking about enforced energy conservation, involving the deployment of security forces against those who allow “excessive lighting.” And, of course, there was yet another attempt to reach into people’s pockets in an effort to offset the consequences of the destructive energy policies of recent years – starting next year, electricity will be subject to excise tax under the new tax code. What kind of public solidarity can PAS expect after this? Governments in neighbouring countries can still count on public support because their actions show they are putting their own countries’ interests first. During peak demand, Romania makes full use of its remaining coal-fired capacity, as well as power plants fuelled by other hydrocarbons, including costly natural gas. By contrast, Moldova continues to rely entirely on imports, refusing on political grounds even to consider expanding conventional power generation, at least during periods of peak demand. Under this approach, Moldova’s inept leadership is condemning the country to a strategic defeat in the competition for business and development. Calls to invest in energy storage have faced resistance and the disappointing experiences of renewable energy investors who are now counting their losses. In any case, even with the large-scale deployment of battery storage, it would take decades to build enough capacity to cover peak demand. Society sees the situation for what it is. That is why people are no longer willing to sacrifice their standard of living for yet another round of empty promises about a “better future”. Trust in the current government has long since been lost, along with any hope that it is either capable of improving the situation or genuinely committed to doing so.