The Romanian and Moldovan governments signed a memorandum about the interconnection of natural gas and electricity networks between their countries, through the expansion of the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline.
The cooperation between the two states will focus on concrete projects in natural gas and energy.
In the field of natural gas, complementary works will be done to the Iasi – Ungheni – Chisinau interconnection and will be extended the results on the Iasi – Ungheni – Chisinau gas pipeline through the construction of a gas transport pipeline around the Chisinau ring road.
Regarding electricity, the aim is to interconnect the electrical energy systems between Romania and the Republic of Moldova through investments of strategic importance.
The documents reiterated the idea of OPCOM (Romanian Electricity and Gas Market Operator) becoming the operator of the electricity market in the Republic of Moldova.
“We cannot talk about the reconstruction of Ukraine without talking about the reconstruction of the Republic of Moldova. There are two things in the package”, the head of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu said at the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum, on Thursday.
Prime ministers Nicolae Ciucă and Dorin Recean talked at the forum about the priorities for ensuring regional security and stability. They outlined the need to intensify cooperation in the current security context, in order to diminish, for the benefit of the citizens, the impact of the crisis in the energy and economic sphere.
Moldova’s energy sector relies heavily on imports of electricity and gas. The country produces only about 20% of its annual electricity consumption from natural gas-fired combined heat and electricity power plants. Its natural gas consumption almost exclusively relies on Russian gas imports.
Romania started transporting limited amounts of natural gas to Moldova in December last year.
(Cătălina Mihai | EURACTIV.ro)
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