Expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul” Victor Parlicov, former director of the National Agency for Energy Regulation (NAER), said that Moldova will benefit from an energy alternative and lower prices only if there is real competition on the market and the authorities abandon the different nontransparent schemes that exist now in the energy sector. In an interview for Radio Free Europe, the expert said that the interconnection with the electric power lines of Romania can offer an alternative as this country has the capacity to supply electricity, but the main problem is in Chisinau as the projects are not implemented, IPN reports.

“Since the declaration of independence, all the projects related to the interconnection with the system of Romania remained on paper, at the level of studies. The construction of power lines wasn’t started. Thus, we remain dependent on foreign energy resources, including of the Eastern partners,” stated Victor Parlicov.

The expert noted that the market in Romania is transparent and the transactions there are under strict monitoring and it is hard to implement schemes as those employed in Moldova. The energy security of Moldova cannot be ensured because of lack of political will. There are now no technical problems that cannot be solved. “Romania has a surplus of energy on the domestic market and this is much cheaper than that we purchase from the Cuchurgan power plant. Thus, Romania has even a purely technical interest to have where to supply its electric power,” he stated.

Victor Parlicov also said that a part of the generation capacities, especially the aeolian ones, were concentrated in Dobrogea and Romania encounters difficulties in distributing the power from there all over the country. Moldova is situated much closer to that area and supplying power to us can be a solution and also assistance for Romania in stabilizing its internal electricity system.

Moldova now purchases electric power only from the Cuchurgan power plant given that Ukraine halted the export of electricity as a result of a shortage of coal. The Ukrainian authorities recently announced their readiness to resume the export of power at the beginning of spring.