Blackmail by the Russian Federation in response to the criticism of the Russian invasion of Ukraine turned out to be unsuccessful. The resistance of Chișinău to Moscow further reduces the Russian influence in Moldova, primarily in the energy sector.
Before the start of the war, Russia was a key gas supplier for Moldova. The poorest of the European countries remained completely dependent on Russian gas for dozens of years. When Moldova decided to fully support the sanctions against Russia, Gazprom violated the binding, five-year contract signed in October 2021, reducing the supply of blue fuel to the Republic of Moldova and triggering an energy crisis.
The path to energy freedom
Since the breakout of the war, the Republic of Moldova has been gradually gaining independence from the supply of gas from Russia. With the help of the countries of Western Europe, Moldova was able to survive this year’s winter. Romania also played a key role in helping its neighbour.
– Romanian electrical grids meets up to 90 percent of the electricity demand of Moldova – informed the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis in February 2023 at a press conference in Bucharest.
The discontinuation of gas supply in the autumn of 2022 sparked Chișinău to make attempts at gaining energy independence. A tender procedure was announced for the construction of the first two combined heat and power plants in the history of independent Moldova, scheduled to be completed by 2025. Each of them will be able to generate approx. 55 MWh. The authorities also plan to quickly develop the RES sector, which should satisfy up to 30 percent of domestic consumption within three years.
