Moldova has officially commissioned the Vulcănești–Chișinău high-voltage power transmission line, which will allow it to import electricity from Romania and other European countries while bypassing the unrecognized Transnistria. This was reported by UNN , citing Moldova’s Ministry of Energy and a statement by the country’s president, Maia Sandu.
The €61 million project is intended to reduce the country’s energy dependence on Russia.
Details
A ceremony marking the launch of the new power transmission line took place on November 8 at a substation in Chișinău. The event was attended by Moldovan President Maia Sandu, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu, and representatives of the World Bank.
The 400 kV high-voltage line is 158 kilometers long and has a capacity of 630 MVA. It connects substations in Vulcănești and Chișinău, enabling electricity to be supplied from the European power system without using the energy infrastructure of the unrecognized Transnistria. The project’s total cost is approximately €61 million. Its implementation involved not only the construction of the transmission line itself but also the modernization of the relevant substations.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu called the commissioning of the transmission line an important step toward the country’s energy independence.
"For decades, Moscow used energy for blackmail. That is now over. Moldova no longer buys Russian gas, and two more power transmission lines to Romania are already on the way," Sandu said.
According to her, the new infrastructure will allow the country to choose electricity suppliers more independently and reduce the risks of energy pressure.
She also specified that the Moldovan authorities are working on two more energy projects intended to strengthen the country’s connection with the European power system. These are the Bălți–Suceava and Strășeni–Gutinaș power transmission lines.
Context
Previously, a significant share of Moldova’s electricity supply depended on the Moldavskaya GRES power plant, located in Kuchurgan in the territory of the unrecognized Transnistria. The power plant operated on Russian natural gas for a long time, while Chișinău’s energy dependence created additional political and economic risks. The new Vulcănești–Chișinău line makes it possible to transmit electricity from Romania to central Moldova via an alternative route.
Construction of the Vulcănești–Chișinău line lasted several years. The actual work began in April 2024, while completion of the project was postponed several times due to technical and logistical difficulties, including those related to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Moldova and Ukraine synchronized their power systems with the continental European ENTSO-E network in March 2022. After the cessation of Russian gas purchases for the right-bank part of the country at the end of 2022, Chișinău gradually reoriented itself toward the European energy market. The launch of the new transmission line marked another stage in this transformation. The development of cross-border electricity connections with Romania is expected to increase the reliability of Moldova’s electricity supply and reduce its dependence on energy infrastructure outside the control of the central authorities.
Reminder
Somewhat earlier, the U.S. Embassy in Chișinău announced the creation of a working group to build a new cross-border power transmission line, which will be called the Trump Liberty Line, or "Trump’s Freedom Line."