On a Sunday in Chisinau, a small country long tethered to the energy whims of its larger neighbors cut a new cord: a high-voltage line that ties Moldova's grid to Romania and, through it, to the European system. It is a quiet piece of infrastructure carrying a loud history, one in which gas and electricity have been used as instruments of pressure, and in which a nation of 2.6 million people has spent decades learning how exposed it is to decisions made in Moscow and in the breakaway region of Transnistria. The line arrives late and under emergency conditions, but it marks a shift from depende
Moldova Opens Power Line to Romania, Cutting Energy Dependence on Russia
"For decades, Moscow used energy to blackmail us."
Mark
Why does a power line get this much attention?
Mimi
Because for Moldova, electricity has been leverage in someone else's hands. Sandu says Moscow used energy to blackmail the country for decades, and this line connects Vulcanesti to Chisinau and onward to Romania and the European grid.
Mark
What exactly does it replace?
Mimi
It lets Moldova cut reliance on the Cuciurgan plant in Transnistria, the separatist region that sits at the center of its old supply routes.
Luke
Careful with the headline claim, though. Sandu says Moldova buys zero Russian gas. That's her statement on X. The reporting here doesn't independently verify it.
Mimi
Fair. It's attributed to her, and she's the one with the political stake in saying it.
Mark
And the commissioner's comment about buying where it's cheapest?
Mimi
Marta Kos said that at the ceremony. It's the promise of the link: choice of supplier rather than dependence on one.
Luke
A promise, yes. Nothing in the source says what prices Moldovans will actually pay, and there's a state of emergency over gas shortages running until November 20.
Mark
The line was two years late. Does that matter?
Mimi
It tells you how hard these projects are. Sandu says two more lines to Romania are coming, but no dates are given.
Luke
And the claim that Moscow is withholding gas to push up prices is something some in Europe allege. It's not established in this reporting.
Mimi
Right, and the Black Sea attacks are likewise described as alleged, though Romania did publicly blame Russia for the drone strike that sank the ship.
Il Polso
- A new 400-kV line from Vulcanesti to Chisinau has been switched on, bypassing the Russia-linked Cuciurgan plant in Transnistria.
- President Sandu has declared Moscow's energy leverage over Moldova finished, claiming the country now buys zero Russian gas.
- The project launched two years behind schedule, under a state of emergency over gas shortages that runs until November 20.
- Soaring world energy prices and a tense Black Sea front, where a drone strike sank a Romanian-area cargo ship, keep pressure high.
- Two more Romania interconnectors are promised, with no dates yet, and the coming weeks will test whether the emergency measures lapse or are extended.
On a Sunday in Chisinau, a small country long tethered to the energy whims of its larger neighbors cut a new cord: a high-voltage line that ties Moldova's grid to Romania and, through it, to the European system. It is a quiet piece of infrastructure carrying a loud history, one in which gas and electricity have been used as instruments of pressure, and in which a nation of 2.6 million people has spent decades learning how exposed it is to decisions made in Moscow and in the breakaway region of Transnistria. The line arrives late and under emergency conditions, but it marks a shift from dependence toward a choice about where warmth and light will come from.
On Sunday in Chisinau, President Maia Sandu presided over the switching-on of a new high-voltage power line linking Moldova's grid to Romania's and, through it, to the wider European system. Afterward she wrote on X that Moscow had used energy to blackmail Moldova for decades, and that the era was over. Her government now says Moldova buys no Russian gas at all.
The line runs from Vulcanesti to the capital, a 400-kilowatt extra-high-voltage link nicknamed the "energy independence line." Its purpose is to let Moldova stop relying on the Cuciurgan thermal plant in Transnistria, the pro-Moscow separatist region that has long sat at the heart of the country's power supply. For a small nation of 2.6 million people, wedged between Romania and Ukraine, that dependence had always felt like exposure to decisions made elsewhere. Sandu said plainly that whenever Moldova chooses something Moscow does not want, its electricity is threatened.
The project did not arrive on time. It opened two years after the date officials had first promised. Its arrival comes amid a state of emergency approved last month to ease gas shortages while world energy prices climb, prices some European voices blame on Moscow withholding supplies. Sandu says two more lines to Romania are coming, though no dates have been given. Whether they are finished on schedule, and whether emergency measures end on November 20, will show how firmly Moldova's break from its old dependence holds.
On Sunday in Chisinau, Moldova formally switched on a new high-voltage power line tying its grid to Romania's and, through it, to the wider European system. President Maia Sandu presided over the inauguration ceremony, and afterward wrote on X that Moscow had used energy to blackmail Moldova for decades. "No more," she added: Moldova, she said, now buys zero Russian gas.
The line runs from the city of Vulcanesti to the capital. The source describes it as a 400-kilowatt extra-high-voltage line, and it has been nicknamed the "energy independence line." Its practical purpose is to let Moldova stop leaning on the Cuciurgan thermal power plant in Transnistria, the pro-Moscow separatist region that has long sat at the center of the country's energy supply.
The geography explains why this matters. Moldova has 2.6 million people and is wedged between Romania and Ukraine. Most of its gas has historically arrived from Russia, routed through Transnistria and through pipelines crossing Ukraine. That left Chisinau exposed to decisions made elsewhere. Sandu put it bluntly at the ceremony: every time Moldova dares to choose something other than what Moscow wants, she said, the country is threatened with having its electricity cut.
Sandu described the project's value in technical terms too. It strengthens Moldova's electricity transmission capacity, diversifies its means of supply, and reinforces its connection to the European energy system. European Commissioner for Energy Marta Kos, who attended the ceremony, said Moldova can now "buy energy where it is cheapest."
The line did not arrive on time. It was launched two years after the date Moldovan authorities had originally promised. Sandu said two more power lines to Romania are on the way, though the source gives no dates for them.
The inauguration comes at a strained moment. Last month, Moldova's parliament approved a government request for a state of emergency running until November 20, intended to ease gas shortages while world energy prices soar. Some in Europe blame Moscow for the price spike, accusing it of withholding additional supplies to pressure the continent.
The wider region is tense as well. European-aligned states around the Black Sea report renewed attacks that they allege Russia carried out. Last month Romania blamed Russia for a drone strike that sank a cargo ship off its Black Sea coast, killing one crew member and leaving three others missing. Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria have urged NATO to fast-track additional surveillance capabilities to protect commercial shipping, as fighting in Russia's war on Ukraine escalates. NATO said it would send more maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea.
What to watch now: whether the two further Romania interconnectors are finished on schedule, given this one ran two years late, and whether the emergency measures expire on November 20 or are extended.
Citazioni salienti
Every time Moldova dares to choose something other than what Moscow wants, they threaten to cut our electricity.— Maia Sandu, Moldovan President
Moldova can now buy energy where it is cheapest.— Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Energy
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