Moldova builds new power line to Romania

Moldova has begun work on a new power line linking the capital Chisinau with neighbouring Romania as the former Soviet republic seeks greater energy independence from Russia, AFP reports.
Once the new power line is built, Moldova will no longer depend on a power plant located in the separatist region of Transnistria, where Russian troops are stationed.
In the southern village of Congaz, workers and excavators, bulldozers and cranes have been mobilised to start digging the foundations for the first poles of the new power line.
By the end of 2025, Moldova wants to complete all 500 pylons and the rest of the 400 kV power line, which should stretch 158 km from Chisinau to Vulcanesti in Gagauzia in the south.
A link has already been built from Vulcanesti to Issacca across the border into Romania, which is a member of the EU.
Currently, around 70% of the electricity consumed in Moldova comes from Transnistria, and Russian-backed separatists have in the past cut off supplies to Chisinau.
The current contract with the Transnistrian power plant expires at the end of 2024.
President Maya Sandu called the new €27 million power line "one of the most important infrastructure projects" since independence in 1991, freeing the country to receive electricity "without the pressure of political blackmail from outside."
In 2019, Chisinau approved the long-delayed project, which received funding from the World Bank.
According to senior Energy Ministry official Konstantin Borosan, the government is moving ahead to try to complete construction even before the end-2025 deadline.
Apart from the 70% of electricity Moldova gets from Transdniestria, the rest has so far come mostly from Ukraine.
But Kiev halted exports after Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure, triggering an energy crisis in Moldova that resulted in cities turning off street lights and households curbing consumption in 2022.
Today, 20% of electricity demand is met by domestic generation.
Consumption has also declined as electricity prices have risen.
Since 2022, Moldova has also occasionally bought electricity from Romania, but existing connections limit the amount it can import.
Moldova plans to have two more interconnectors with Romania to achieve "full, comprehensive integration into the European energy market," Borosan said.
The country of 2.6 million people, which sits between Ukraine and Romania, applied to join the European Union shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Current member states agreed in December to start accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, one of Europe's poorest nations. /BGNES