The energy situation in the region has deteriorated rapidly and is worrying, warns Constantin Borosan, state secretary of the Energy Ministry. In an address published on social networks, the dignitary urges to save electricity and move activities to night time as much as possible so as not to face power disconnections, as in the Transnistrian region. Constantin Borosan warns that a similar situation may occur with the overloading of power grids, IPN reports.
The State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy points out that the networks on the two banks of the Dniester are interconnected, but assures that those in charge are monitoring developments: "The centralized management of the electricity system is carried out by Moldelectrica, through permanent communication with all enterprises, including those on the left bank of the Dniester".
"In the Transnistrian region a deficit of about 65 MW of electricity has been created. The recorded power deficit is about 30% of the consumption needs, - enormous for the power system. The electricity load reaches 219 MW, while the maximum production capacity of MGRES and CHE Dubasari now totals only 154 MW", Constantin Borosan said.
The overloading of the grids was caused by the fact that local residents, left without gas and heating, started to heat their homes with electrical equipment. Thus, since the third day after Russia stopped the gas supply, i.e. since Friday, January 3, daily disconnections started in a fan, ranging from 1 hour on the first day, to 3 hours on the second day and reaching 4 hours as of today, January 5. Disconnections occur mainly during peak hours - morning and evening.
According to Constantin Borosan, the management of the electricity shortage on the left bank of the Dniester is done by disconnecting consumers with load equivalent to the shortage of about 65 MW in the residential sector, street lighting systems, water supply systems, industrial areas, agricultural processing activities, etc.
Electricity distribution grids on the left bank are overloaded, so unless enough consumers are disconnected, there is a risk that the entire system will go down, says the energy ministry's state secretary.
To avoid the risk of a similar experience on the right bank, the dignitary urges rigorous energy saving: "We ask all consumers to use energy rationally, especially during peak hours (morning between 7 and 11 am and evening between 6 and 11 pm), when imports are most expensive. Simple tips on how to make savings are given on this link: https://energie.gov.md/ro/content/economiseste-la-factura.
What's more, the authorities suggest moving certain activities to night hours where possible. For example, businesses that can operate during night hours and have smart meters will pay less, on a differentiated tariff, for night consumption.
The official from the Ministry of Energy reports that so far the situation on the right bank of the Dniester has been manageable and daily consumption is covered, thanks to "production at the thermoelectric power plants in Chisinau and Balti, the hydroelectric power plant in Costești, renewable energy sources installed throughout the country and imports from Romania, both through bilateral contracts and on the stock exchange".
Constantin Borosan assures that "around the clock, the energy engineers ensure the reliable functioning of the energy infrastructure, - they are invisible activities for most of us, but thanks to them we have light and heat in our homes. In addition, we have managed to secure natural gas stocks for the whole cold season, so that we can get through this winter".
Despite the crisis in Transnistria, Tiraspol has so far refused to cooperate with Chisinau. Constantin Borosan says that talks have been underway since December 11, 2024.
"Already at the meeting on December 11, 2024, on the platform of the Ministry of Energy, with energy enterprises, including enterprises on the left bank of the Dniester, it was proposed that Tiraspoltransgaz consider purchasing gas from the BRM exchange as an alternative in case of a halt in deliveries from Gazprom. In addition, on December 20, 2024 at the meeting with energy enterprises, including MGRES and Tiraspoltransgaz, it was proposed the way of cooperation through the purchase of gas by Energocom and its processing into electricity at MGRES. Until today we have no response. On January 2, 2025 Moldovagaz and Energocom proposed to Tiraspoltransgaz a workable mechanism of gas procurement on regional markets. On December 31, 2024, the Trans-Balkan route and the purchase on the Bulgarian gas exchange was successfully tested. Also on January 2 Tiraspoltransgaz refused this form of cooperation".
Both banks of the Dniester have been in a state of emergency since mid-December. The situation in the Transnistrian region worsened after Russian gas supplies were cut off on January 1. The need to provide the right bank with enough electricity has prompted the authorities to switch to other sources.
