Moldovan government approved 60-day state of emergency in Moldova

Chisinau, Dec. 11 /MOLDPRES/- A state of emergency will be declared in Moldova for 60 days, starting December 16. The decision was approved today at a cabinet meeting on the proposal of the Commission for Emergency Situations. The document is to be sent to Parliament for consideration and adoption, the government's communication department has reported.

The measure is necessary in the context of major risks to Moldova's energy security and possible humanitarian effects on the left bank of the Dniester, caused by the uncertainty over Gazprom's natural gas supplies to the Transnistrian region, especially in the context of attacks on the energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

"There is no transit problem - there are ways to deliver natural gas to the Republic of Moldova and to the left bank of the Dniester. If Gazprom's intention materializes, it will result in a humanitarian crisis that comes from two sources. The first is the lack of energy resources for basic needs in the middle of winter. The second is the lack of income for these people to buy basic necessities. This is the context and the problems the Moldovan government must solve," said Prime Minister Dorin Recean.

According to the CSE report, for the time being, the electricity import capacity in our country is limited to 315 MW through the interconnection with Romania, which is insufficient to cover the demand at peak hours. The vulnerability is exacerbated by the fact that Isaccea-Vulcănești interconnection power line crosses the territory of Ukraine, which makes it susceptible to outages in case of new attacks on the energy infrastructure in the neighboring country. At the same time, in the absence of natural gas from Gazprom, the Cuciurgan Plant (MGRES) will not be able to provide the necessary electricity production under the same conditions. Thus, even if the shortage of electricity created throughout the country is covered, the price of electricity will be significantly affected, especially for the inhabitants of the left bank of the Dniester.

During the state of emergency, the Commission for Emergency Situations will be able to adopt urgent measures to allocate financial resources and coordinate the necessary actions to ensure energy resources and overcome the humanitarian consequences.