Romania offers another chance for R. of Moldova to have its own atomic energy. Economical analysis by Info-Prim Neo Agency

The Romanian Ministry of Economy and Commerce announced, at the end of the last week, that the construction works at the 3rd and 4th units of the Cernavoda nuclear power station will start simultaneously at the beginning of the next year with a series of preparation works on the existent arrangements. The estimative cost of the works rises to USD 15mln. Thus, taking into consideration the Bucharest’s anterior invitations for participating in the Cernavoda Project, Chisinau has now a real chance to solve on a long-term basis a big share of its energetic problems. For this a political will is needed and the urgent initiation of bilateral negotiations should take place. All the more as the Romanian political elite seems to show at the moment openness in what concerns the development of bilateral relations, including those in the enegetic sector. “We will never let Moldova be blackmailed on basis of energy”, declared the Romanian President, Traian Basescu, in January 2005 at Chisinau. At the same time, the common declaration signed by Vladimir Voronin and Traian Basescu says: “Taking into consideration the perspectives of signing the Treaty on Energy Community in South-Eastern Europe, Romania and the R. of Moldova will intensify their bilateral cooperation and reciprocal support aiming to reach the objectives of the treaty. They will identify new forms of collaboration in the domain for the assurance and diversification of energy resources of both states. Still, why should Moldova examine seriously the perspectives offered by the Cernavoda power station?! First of all, entering this project, Chisinau will obtain its own atomic energy and will reduce its external dependence and possible energetic blackmailing which, in most of the cases comes from Russia’s part. Secondly, the R. of Moldova will obtain free access to the energetic market of the European Union. This because at a time with the giving in exploitation of the units 3 and 4 of the atomic power station, Romania will already be a plenipotentiary member-state of the EU, and many of the prices, including the energetic ones, will be adjusted to the common market rates. In this case Moldova could receive important advantages out of its energy trade on the single European market. Local experts assert that in case R. of Moldova solicits and will obtain participation in Cernavoda project, she will be able to commercialize on the EU market its share of energy. The prices on the European energetic market are quite fair, beating those on the internal market as well as those on the eastern market- Ukraine and Russia. With the money obtained out of the energetic commerce on the European market, R. of Moldova will have the possibility to buy enough cheap final energy from east for covering its own necessities. Therefore, the eventual danger of an energetic blackmailing will disappear, because Chisinau will already have its own energy. Recently, there was an intensification of the discussions concerning the “atomic” perspectives of R. of Moldova. The chairman of the Moldovan Academy of Science, Gheorghe Duca, declared that the best solution for the assurance of the energetic security of RM would be the production of the atomic energy. The academician specifies that, in case we don’t have sufficient financial resources for building an atomic power station we can cooperate with Romania in these respects, a state with free capacities, which searches for investments for the construction of the reactors no. 3 and 4. The fist project which would assist the construction of a power station could be overlooked, because of the minimal quantity of investment, of USD 1 bln. As it follows, the cooperation with Romania represents for Moldova, at the moment, the only chance to have its own atomic energy. As part of the past invitations to the participation at Cernavoda project, Bucharest accepted that, in case Moldova lacks sufficient financial sources, that it contributes with labor force and specialists. According to the Romanian Ministry of Economy and Commerce, the estimative cost of the project of building the units no. 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda Power Station is of circa EUR 2 bln. If it goes rapidly, RM will be able to contribute to the construction of the respective units starting next year. This because the finalization of those 2 reactors requests a series of preparation works of the present arrangements, which include engineering and projecting workings as well as works of construction and mounting (repairs and maintaining of the existent constructions), those of preparation for the management of the investment finalization (definitization of the list of equipment which should be commanded in advance) and the procuring of specific components and equipments with a long cycle of producing. Participation in the first stage could be favorable for Chisinau which could contribute with working force. In the next stages much more complex workings will follow, for the execution of which specialized companies will be invited. At present, the R. of Moldova assures itself only 30 % of the internal need of electric energy, the rest being imported from Ukraine. In the second trimester of the current year, the R. of Moldova imported from Ukraine electric energy estimated at USD 17.08 mln or 683.16 mln kWh, 2.2 and respectively 2.3 times more than the similar period of the last year.