The power line directly connecting the Republic of Moldova to the European grid has been opened / Maia Sandu: “No one can blackmail us anymore, turn off the lights, or shut off the heat”

The Republic of Moldova inaugurated on Sunday the 400 kV Vulcănești–Chișinău Overhead Power Line, which directly connects the country to the European grid.

The Vulcănești–Chișinău OHL represents the most important investment in the electricity transmission infrastructure of the Republic of Moldova in recent decades, according to the Ministry of Energy in Chișinău. Once operational, the power line will be able to carry more than 50% of the country’s electricity consumption and will enable the import of energy from Romania and the European market without transit through the MGRES energy hub in the Transnistrian region, thereby strengthening the energy security and independence of the Republic of Moldova.

President Maia Sandu, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, who is visiting the Republic of Moldova, and Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu attended the ceremony held at the Chișinău Electrical Station.

“Energy independence means being able to decide for ourselves where we buy our energy, without pressure and blackmail. For decades, energy was used as an instrument of pressure against our country. Every time Moldova chose a path other than the one desired by Moscow, we were threatened with being left without electricity and heating. Today, we are building alternatives. Two new interconnections with Romania are next—Bălți–Suceava and Strășeni–Gutinaș—built with the support of our European and American partners.

I thank everyone who worked to implement this project and the partners who stand by us. We have taken an important step toward our country’s energy independence. No one can blackmail us, turn off the lights, or shut off the heat anymore,”  President Maia Sandu said on Sunday, November 8, at the inauguration of the Vulcănești–Chișinău power line.