Moldova launches new power line to Romania to cut reliance on Russian energy
Moldova has officially launched a new high-voltage power line linking Vulcanesti to Chisinau and connecting the country more closely to Romania and the wider European grid. The inauguration took place in the capital, Chisinau, on Sunday, with officials presenting the project as a step toward greater energy security. President Maia Sandu said the line would help Moldova reduce its dependence on Russian energy and strengthen its electricity transmission capacity.
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Sandu said the country had been vulnerable for decades to pressure through energy supplies. In a post on X, she said Moscow had used energy as a tool of blackmail and added that Moldova now buys no Russian gas. She also said two more power lines to Romania are planned, indicating that the new link is part of a broader effort to reshape the country's electricity network.
European Commissioner for Energy Marta Kos attended the ceremony and said Moldova would now be able to buy energy where it is cheapest. Officials said the 400-kilowatt extra-high-voltage line reduces reliance on the Cuciurgan thermal power plant in Transnistria, the pro-Moscow separatist region that has long played a central role in Moldova's energy system. The project was described by Sandu as the "energy independence line", although it was launched two years later than Moldovan authorities had originally promised.
The new line matters because Moldova has long sat at the intersection of competing energy and political interests. The country of 2.6 million people lies between Romania and Ukraine and has historically received much of its gas through Transnistria and pipelines running via Ukraine. By strengthening links to Romania and the European energy system, Chisinau is seeking to reduce the leverage that outside suppliers have held over its electricity and gas market.
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The launch also comes as Moldova faces wider energy pressure. Last month, parliament approved a government-requested state of emergency until November 20 as the country tries to ease gas shortages amid high global energy prices. The government has framed diversification as a practical necessity as well as a political choice, especially as officials continue to warn that energy dependence can be used to influence national decisions.
What remains unclear is how quickly the new line will translate into lower costs or greater resilience for consumers. The immediate next step is the planned construction of two further power lines to Romania, which Sandu said are already on the way. For now, the project marks a significant but partial shift in Moldova's energy strategy, with the full impact depending on how quickly the wider network is expanded and how supply conditions develop.
