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

Moldova has officially launched a new power line connecting the country to neighbouring Romania and the European grid to reduce its reliance on Russian energy. Moldova, a country of 2.6 million people 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.

European Commissioner for Energy Marta Kos, who was at the ceremony, said Moldova could now “buy energy where it is cheapest”. The 400-kilowatt extra-high-voltage line, which 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,” said Sandu. Dubbed the “energy independence line”, the power grid was launched two years after the date Moldovan authorities initially promised.