Energy emergency in Moldova: Russian attack on Ukrainian infrastructure exposes longstanding vulnerabilities

Moldova has declared a 60-day state of emergency in the energy sector after a key electricity import line was damaged by a Russian attack on Ukrainian infrastructure.

The incident disrupted the Vulcănești-Isaccea power line, Moldova’s primary route for importing electricity from Romania, forcing authorities to scramble for alternative supplies and exposing deep structural weaknesses in the country’s energy system.

A Russian strike on energy infrastructure in Ukraine on 23 March damaged a pylon of the Vulcănești-Isaccea line on the banks of the Danube, on Ukrainian territory. Although the pylon itself held, critical elements of the line were affected, and demining operations delayed repairs. The Moldovan government had already adopted preventive measures on 18 March in anticipation of potential disruptions, including fears of rising oil prices, supply vulnerabilities, and panic buying. These steps involved reducing minimum mandatory gasoline stocks at the Port of Giurgiulești, limiting diesel fuel sales in containers to a maximum of 20 liters, and partially cutting electricity exports during morning peak hours.

The damaged line normally supplies between 60% and 70% of the electricity consumption on the right bank of the Dniester. Its outage created an estimated deficit of 350-400 MW during peak hours, roughly half of Moldova’s hourly energy consumption. Prime Minister Alexandru Muntean told parliament that Russia’s actions directly endangered the security, health, and lives of Moldovan citizens.

The line was repaired in just three days. The Ukrainian side completed on 28 March the works, and subsequent tests confirmed safe and stable operation, as announced by Moldova’s Minister of Energy, Dorin Junghietu.

The system operates at its limit during peak hours

But even after the repair, the energy system continues to function under significant strain. The announced deficit is not constant but concentrates during morning and evening peak consumption periods, when Moldova must rely on additional imports, primarily from Romania, purchased at market prices on the exchange. Experts note that these imports help reduce the risk of disconnections while also easing pressure on domestic prices, though they come at a higher cost due to heightened demand on the Romanian market as well.

Currently, consumption is covered through a combination of domestic production and imports via alternative routes. These include four 110 kV interconnection lines with Romania and pathways involving the Ukrainian grid. However, the capacity of these alternative routes remains limited. In response to the crisis, the Ministry of Energy announced emergency measures on 25 March, such as increasing production at district heating plants, requesting emergency power from regional operators, implementing controlled disconnections if needed, reducing public and commercial lighting by at least 30% in case the deficit persists, and rescheduling industrial consumption.

Central and local authorities are tasked with identifying additional ways to curb consumption without disrupting essential services. Medical and sanitary institutions, critical infrastructure, and emergency services receive absolute priority and are guaranteed continuous supply under any scenario.

Structural roots of the crisis

While the immediate trigger was the Russian attack on the Isaccea-Vulcănești line, experts emphasize that the vulnerability runs much deeper. The heavy reliance on this route during peak hours stems from decades of underinvestment in the energy sector, particularly under previous pro-Russian governments that depended on cheap Gazprom gas and electricity produced on the left bank of the Dniester. This model effectively blocked meaningful development of domestic energy infrastructure.

Since gaining independence in 1991, Moldova has largely followed an economic approach that neglected investments across nearly all branches of the energy sector, until Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine forced a gradual shift. Although progress has been made in recent years, including synchronization with the continental European grid ENTSO-E, which enabled imports from Romania, the country remains highly dependent on Ukrainian infrastructure and external supplies overall.

Experts such as Eugen Muravschi point out that Moldova is less vulnerable than it was five years ago, when it relied on a single supplier, yet it is still exposed because it cannot control prices internally. External shocks are transmitted directly to citizens’ bills, and any disruption on import routes quickly escalates into a domestic crisis. The population has been urged to reduce consumption, especially during peak hours, as a necessary step to avoid potential disconnections.

Moldova pays full market prices for electricity imported from Romania, with most volumes purchased by Energocom on the exchange at peak rates. There are no preferential discounts or special favors; Romania’s assistance comes primarily through technical cooperation and infrastructure support rather than subsidized energy. The four existing 110 kV lines across the Prut have limited capacity and mainly serve the western regions, meaning some Romanian energy still reaches Moldova via the Ukrainian network.

Long-term solutions

There are no immediate fixes for Moldova’s energy dependence. Experts outline several strategic directions for the coming years: developing renewable energy sources, investing in storage capacities, modernizing existing power plants, and building new interconnections with Romania. The funding sources for these investments, however, remain unclear.

Storage is seen as particularly critical. During certain hours, Moldova generates a surplus and exports energy at very low prices, only to import at maximum prices during peaks. Storage facilities would help flatten this demand curve and improve overall efficiency. In the longer term, modernizing the power plants in Bălți and Chișinău, along with constructing new high-capacity lines such as Strașeni-Gutinaș and Bălți-Suceava, would significantly reduce reliance on any single import route.

Such projects would also make the Moldovan market more attractive to investors. As Muravschi notes, depending on one line that covers 60% of consumption essentially means six out of ten households are at risk whenever that route is compromised. He argues that the current state of emergency should be leveraged as an opportunity for decisive governance, using all available tools to accelerate the integration of new renewable capacities and storage solutions.

The crisis, triggered by war but rooted in historical dependencies, underscores both the fragility and the resilience of Moldova’s energy system as it navigates an increasingly complex regional environment.

The original article by EUalive’s partner media, PressOne.ro, can be found here.

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Caption: Illustrative photo. Workers from the Ukrainian energy company DTEK perform repairs at an electrical substation in Kyiv, Ukraine, 21 January 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/MARIA SENOVILLA