Moldova enters state of emergency for next 60 days

Chisinau, Dec. 16 /MOLDPRES/- Starting from 16 December, a 60-day state of emergency has been declared throughout Moldova.

The declaration of the state of emergency was proposed by the government under the report of the Commission for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Moldova (CSE), and given that the shortage of energy resources directly and immediately affects the security of the state and its citizens. The decision to establish a state of emergency was taken by a majority of MPs.

The request was presented in Parliament by Prime Minister Dorin Recean, who said "this winter must be the last winter in the country's history in which we can be threatened by energy threats".

Thus, the electricity shortage is to be covered on the basis of purchases on the Romanian electricity exchange, managed by the Romanian market operator OPCOM, within the commercial capacity limit (NTC) for the import of electricity from the ENTSO-E supply area to the joint regulator Ukraine - Moldova. The situation is aggravated by the limited electricity import capacity allocated to Ukraine and Moldova. Therefore, in addition to the impossibility of increasing the NTC between Romania and the Republic of Moldova above 315 MW, there is a risk of an increase in the price of imported electricity and the impossibility of covering the entire deficit. The vulnerability is also exacerbated by the fact that Isaccea-Vulcănești interconnection power line crosses the territory of Ukraine, which makes it susceptible to interruptions in the event of new attacks on the energy infrastructure in the neighboring country.

The declaration of a state of emergency is necessary in order to enable the immediate implementation of measures through the Commission for Emergency Situations. These will aim to prevent, mitigate and liquidate the consequences of the situation that caused the state of emergency. In particular, it will be possible to set up a special regime for the rapid provision of electricity and natural gas and to allocate money for this. Similarly, it will be possible to adopt decisions empowering suppliers and system operators to act and purchase, transport or distribute electricity and natural gas throughout the country.

During the state of emergency, the Commission for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Moldova will issue enforceable provisions to the heads of central and local public administration authorities, economic agents, public institutions, as well as to citizens and other persons on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.