Vadim Krasnoselsky, the leader of the transnistrian region, convened an extraordinary meeting of the region's Security Council, centering on the deep energy crisis facing the self-proclaimed republic. At the meeting, Sergei Obolonik, deputy chairman of the Transnistrian government, presented a detailed report on the situation in the energy sector and the measures taken to cope with the state of affairs. According to him, the crisis is also humanitarian in character and has a significant impact on the population and the economy, IPN reports.
Obolonik stressed that although Transnistria is in a state of emergency due to the energy crisis, the preparatory measures, such as the reserve of 13 million cubic meters of gas, allowed to supply energy to social institutions and some of the residential buildings. "The 13 million cubic meters of gas reserved allow the supply of gas to a number of social institutions and other vital facilities of society," the Transnistrian official explained, adding that this reserve is enough for the next 24 days. At the same time, maintaining a minimum gas flow in the system would help to quickly resume the supply of gas to the entire region later.
Despite this, the situation remains critical given that most Transnistrian residents now use electrical appliances instead of gas burners, which has led to a "colossal increase in the load on electricity grids". According to estimates, electricity consumption will reach 170 MW per hour in January 2025, much more than the capacity of the system, which already reached the upper limit of 170 MW per hour. During this period, the coal-fired power plants on the Nistru are operating at safe limits, and experts warn that constant use at this capacity can lead to the collapse of the energy system.
To respond to this situation, the Transnistrian authorities introduced energy-saving measures, including scheduled power cuts, twice a day, for periods of four hours each. Obolonik noted that these measures have had a positive effect, but other more comfortable and safer options for the population are also being considered, such as the launch of the unit "Tyrotex-energo", which would allow to generate 10 MW per hour.
Also, in recent days, 91 teams of energy engineers worked around the clock to fix energy network incidents, managing to deal with 567 incidents. "It is a daily and continuous feat. Every time period has its heroes: in the war years there were the military, in the pandemic – the doctors, and now – the workers of the services that provide the population with energy resources," said Vadim Krasnoselsky, recognizing their efforts.
The authorities in Tiraspol also discussed the impact of the energy crisis on the industry. In the absence of gas supplies, some of the enterprises will only operate at night, between midnight and 8 a.m., to reduce pressure on energy networks. Despite these measures, the Transnistrian leader Krasnoselsky stressed that the region's food security is guaranteed due to "the well-structured domestic policy and long-standing cooperation".
Rejection of support offered by Chisinau
The offer of assistance received from Chisinau was an important aspect that was omitted from the discussions of the Security Council in Tiraspol. On December 16, 2024, the Moldovan authorities, through Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Serebrian, sent an offer of assistance to Transnistria, which included support for the management of the energy crisis and a proposal for dialogue between the parties. Vadim Krasnoselsky rejected this offer, describing it as "false" and stating that he had not received any official offer of help from Chisinau. In addition, the authorities in Tiraspol reacted negatively to a letter sent by the Government of the Republic of Moldova on December 11, which offered common solutions for the population on both banks of the Nistru.
The spokesman for the Government of Moldova Daniel Vodă confirmed this refusal and said that, although Chisinau was willing to cooperate, the response from Tiraspol was firmly negative. "It was a response of total rejection of these offers, with accusations of interference in the internal affairs," Vodă said, noting that the Transnistrian leaders ridiculed Chisinau's offer.
