Moldova intends to become part of a larger open electricity market and part of the large-scale process of Ukraine's reconstruction.
This was stated by Energy Minister Victor Parlicov in his video address to the participants of the international conference "The Reconstruction of Ukraine and the Strategic Role of Romania". He called it symbolic that Russia's war against Ukraine was launched just a few hours after Moldova's and Ukraine's energy systems were disconnected from the energy systems of Russia and Belarus during the so-called winter test, a preparatory stage for synchronization with ENTSO-E. "This emphasizes the important role of energy for security, political and even geopolitical dimension. Equally, it emphasizes how Russia uses its energy sources and influence as a weapon," the Moldovan Energy Ministry head said. However, he said, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not expect the speed of mobilization and solidarity that Western society has shown in support of Ukraine and helping them resist the unjust war they find themselves in. "This support is very diverse - political, military, financial, but energy support was critical for both Ukraine and Moldova, especially the synchronization of power grids in violation of all standard procedures, just 3 weeks after the Russian invasion. This allowed keeping the lights on in Ukraine when the energy infrastructure was bombed, the same thing happened in Moldova, and changed the whole dynamics in finding a solution for the reintegration of our country," Victor Parlicov emphasized. He noted that Moldova eventually diversified its sources of supply, and while previously it purchased all 100% of its gas from Gazprom, it has now refused to supply Russian gas to consumers on the right bank of the Dniester/Nistru River, while the Transnistrian region is still supplied with essentially free Russian gas. "Through the state-owned company Energocom, we were the first to test the entire vertical gas transportation corridor from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova to the gas storage facilities in western Ukraine. Now we can contribute to the security of gas supply in Central Europe, not just be a consumer. We have developed a very flexible and responsive support scheme to compensate vulnerable consumers for energy price hikes. Overall, Moldova has won the battle for energy security, but we still have to win the battle for people's hearts and minds, as they have been affected by the price hikes and the energy crisis in the whole Europe," the Moldovan Energy Minister said. According to him, our country can contribute to Ukraine's recovery. "First of all, we are trying to use our position in the vertical gas corridor. We have started working with Ukraine not only to reduce the gas transit price, but also to create a special tariff on our part of the corridor. We also believe it is possible to establish a single tariff for the entire corridor from Bulgaria to Ukraine to make it user-friendly for the maximum number of traders and to serve as the main alternative route for gas in Ukrainian storage in summer to cover peak demand in Central and Eastern Europe in winter. Earlier, this was Gazprom's main competitive advantage, which we can adopt and use in our work with alternative gas suppliers," Victor Parlicov said. According to him, in addition, Moldova is working to strengthen its electricity ties with Romania not only to strengthen its own energy security, but also to serve as a bridge in energy transmission both from Ukraine to Romania and in the opposite direction. "If Ukraine needs more energy during the reconstruction, we can ensure that it is also transferred from Romania. There is no other way for Moldova to integrate more renewable energy into the grid other than becoming part of a larger open market. In this sense, both the interconnectors we are building with Romania and the strong interconnectors with Ukraine will stimulate investments in green energy in our country, and will also allow us to supply the necessary amounts of energy to Ukraine when needed. I reiterate that Moldova wants to be part of this large-scale process of rebuilding Ukraine; we are part of the civilized world. Only together we will be able to ensure not only peace and security, but also development and well-being in our countries and in Ukraine after the end of the war, and we firmly believe that it should end with Ukraine's victory," the Moldovan Energy Minister emphasized. // 14.12.2023 – InfoMarket
