Russia to resume power exports to Moldova

The Russian Federation will resume the exports of electric power to Moldova, after it reached an agreement in this respect with Ukraine. The sides decided that Ukraine will ensure the transit of electric power from the Power Plant from Cuciurgan (Transnistrian region of Moldova) to Russia, the Ukrainian press informs, referring to the interstate memorandum signed by Moscow and Kiev. Starting on May 1, 2006, when the contract between “Ucrinterenergo” and Inter RAO EES on the transit of Russian electric power expired, Ukraine became the only exporter of electric power to Moldova. Until that moment, Ukraine and Russia were delivering equal volumes of electric power to Moldova. The Republic of Moldova, the right bank of Nistru, imports about 70% of the necessary electric power, after the three power networks owned by Union Fenosa renounced buying electricity from the Cuciurgan Power Plant. The sides did not reach an agreement as regards the price of the electric power. The Cuciurgan Power Plant, which is situated in the Transnistrian separatist region, is the property of the Russian electric power monopolist RAO ESS. According to statistics of the Ministry of Energy from Moscow, in the first nine months of 2006, Moldova increased 3.5-fold the imports of electric power from Ukraine, compared with the similar period of 2005. On the whole, a volume of 1.7 bln kWh was purchased. This way, Moldova accounted for 23% of the electric power exports of the neighbor country.