Moldova launches new power line to Romania to cut reliance on Russia

Moldova has officially introduced a new power line connecting the country to neighbouring Romania and the European grid to reduce its reliance on Russian energy.

Key points

• "For decades, Moscow used energy to blackmail us, " Moldovan President Maia Sandu remarked on X on Sunday.
• It runs from the city of Vulcanesti to Chisinau, allows Moldova to cut reliance on the Cuciurgan thermal power plant in Transnistria.
• "Every time Moldova dares to choose something other than what Moscow wants, they threaten to cut our electricity, " remarked Sandu.
• European-aligned states in the Black Sea region say they are experiencing renewed attacks allegedly carried out by Russia.
• Last month, Romania blamed Russia for a drone strike that sank a cargo ship off Romania's Black Sea coast, killing one crew member and leaving three others missing.

"For decades, Moscow used energy to blackmail us, " Moldovan President Maia Sandu remarked on X on Sunday. "No more: Moldova buys zero Russian gas, " she continued.

Moldova, a country of 2.6 million individuals wedged between Romania and Ukraine, received most of its gas from Russia via its pro-Moscow separatist region of Transnistria and pipelines running through Ukraine.

"Thanks to this project, we are strengthening our electricity transmission capacity, diversifying our means of supply and reinforcing the connection of the Republic of Moldova to the European energy system, " Sandu remarked during the power line's inauguration ceremony on Sunday in the capital, Chisinau.

According to She additionally, "two more power lines to Romania are on the way".

European Commissioner for Energy Marta Kos. This person was at the ceremony, remarked Moldova could now "buy energy where it is cheapest".

Meanwhile, the 400-kilowatt extra-high-voltage line. It runs from the city of Vulcanesti to Chisinau, allows Moldova to cut reliance on the Cuciurgan thermal power plant in Transnistria.

Dubbed the "energy independence line", the power grid was introduced two years after the date Moldovan authorities initially promised.

Last month, Moldova's parliament approved a government-requested state of emergency until November 20 as it tries to ease gas shortages against the backdrop of soaring world energy costs.

Some in Europe have blamed Moscow for the skyrocketing gas rates, accusing it of withholding further supplies to put pressure on the continent.

As fighting in Russia's war on Ukraine escalates, ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria have called on NATO to "fast-track the additional surveillance capabilities" to protect commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

NATO remarked it would send more maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Black Sea.

In short, moldova launches new power line to Romania to cut reliance on Russia is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.