Moldova enters state of emergency, Transnistria stockpiles firewood

A state of emergency has been established in Moldova to ensure the necessary support can be provided to Moldovan citizens in Transnistria if the separatist region no longer receives free gas from Gazprom from January 1, 2025, according to a request filed by the government and endorsed by the parliament on December 12.

Moldova expects Gazprom to terminate the natural gas supplies, which have been used in the past months by the separatist, pro-Russian Transnistria region to provide affordable electricity to the entire country. The measure will particularly hit Transnistria, while the rest of the country already purchases natural gas from other sources (although at relatively high prices) and is relatively well linked to Romania's power grid, although the transfer capacity may be insufficient.

The Government in Chisinau will also provide the right bank with electricity if Transistria’s power plant MGRES Cuciurgan, which provides 85% of the electricity consumed in the territory controlled by the authorities in Chisinau, no longer produces electricity, the government said. However, it remains unclear whether this will be possible given the existing interconnectors with Romania and Ukraine’s subdued generation capacity.

During his speech in parliament, Prime Minister Dorin Recean assured citizens that Russia's plan to destabilise the Republic of Moldova will not succeed.

In Transnistria, the separatist authorities are discussing a plan to prepare for possible rolling blackouts that may be necessary if Russian gas supplies are cut off.

A meeting on this topic took place in in Tiraspol with the participation of Transnistria leader Vadim Krasnoselsky, on December 12.

Krasnoselsky’s press service has published a plan to prepare for potential power outages. Operational headquarters will be established in cities and districts, led by the heads of local administrations. Firewood will be stockpiled, and warming points offering hot meals will be set up. Medical care will be ensured in all scenarios, although inpatient treatment may be limited to emergencies. Apartment buildings will be inspected, with repairs carried out as needed and insulation added where possible.

"We are expecting heavy loads on the power grid. For this purpose, the emergency reserve for this year is being increased. Additional teams will be organised to deal with local accidents in the power grid," said Vasile Sirbu, head of the Unified Distribution Electric Networks (EDEN).