The geo-energy significance of the Republic of Moldova is determined by its geographical position, the level of energy security and will only be successful if three issues are taken into account, namely energy resilience, the Transnistrian file and the security of energy supply chains, said Mihai Melintei, founder of Energy Analytical Studies, at the conference “Regional approach: Chisinau 2025”, organised by Energynomics..
“I think we have to look at things realistically and realise that energy, whether in its traditional fossil fuel or renewable form, has become the engine of the international economy. Moreover, energy has reached a level where it generates geopolitical crises, confrontations, alliances and partnerships. The most obvious example is the situation in Ukraine. At the international level, no state develops its national policies without taking the energy dimension into account. No move on the geopolitical chessboard is made without taking the energy factor into account. Turning to the regional context, we have to recognise that energy and tension have become almost synonymous, especially in the wake of the armed conflict in Ukraine,” Melintei added.
In Moldova, terms such as “energy security” and “energy resilience” have recently become frequent in political discourse, but are often used without a clear understanding. Energy security means the ability of the state to ensure stable, constant and secure access to energy, and in Moldova’s case at affordable prices, given the difficult economic situation. Energy resilience, on the other hand, refers to the ability of the energy system to anticipate, withstand, respond to and recover rapidly from disruptions in the supply of energy resources. The Republic of Moldova is in an extremely vulnerable energy situation, which can only be remedied by increasing energy resilience.
“We have identified four key directions to increase Moldova’s energy resilience: diversification of energy supply routes, modernisation of obsolete energy infrastructure, regional interconnection, especially with Romania, and development, which involves education, research and innovation,” Melintei said.
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The strategic objective of energy security is to ensure secure and stable access to resources, while resilience is about the ability of the system to maintain this access under stress or crisis. Diversification of supply sources remains a priority, with Romania and the EU market playing a central role. Moldova needs long-term structural solutions, including the development of regional interconnection projects. The country’s energy security is fragile, mainly due to the lack of natural resources, and Energy Analytical Studies has identified several critical directions for the development of the energy system.
Until recently, the Republic of Moldova received its electricity from the Cuciurgan thermoelectric power plant (located on the left bank of the Dniester). All the country’s high-voltage power lines converge on this power plant, making interconnection the only viable solution to reduce dependency. A large part of the 330-340 kV overhead power lines from Ukraine pass through the Transnistrian region, which entails strategic risks. As regards natural gas, four of the five interconnection points of the Trans-Balkan pipeline terminate on the territory of the Transnistrian region, near Tiraspol, where a compressor station is located. This is an area of major vulnerability. However, all these challenges can be addressed by urgently completing energy interconnection projects with Romania, investing in local renewable energy production and storage capacities, and strengthening regional cooperation and synchronisation with European energy platforms.
The conference “Regional Approach Chisinau 2025” was organised by Energynomics with the support of our partners Elektra Renewable Support, Adrem Asset Management, Boglight Gaz Moldova, Siemens Energy, Simtel, SolaX Power, SolarToday.