Romania to help modernise, develop infrastructure in Moldova's electric energy sector

Chisinau, 26 July /MOLDPRES/ - Participants in a meeting of the joint working group in the energy sector of the Romania – Moldova inter-governmental commission today discussed coordination of projects on interconnecting electric energy and gas transportation networks between Moldova and Romania.

According to the Economics Ministry press service, the working group was set up as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of the two countries on implementing projects needed for interconnection of the gas and electric energy networks from Romania and Moldova, signed in Chisinau in May 2015.  

The subjects tackled at the discussions were focused on coordinating projects on interconnecting electric energy and gas transportation networks between the two countries, respectively, the extension of the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline up to Chisinau and up to Onesti in Romania. As for electric energy, the sides discussed future actions to carry out the first asynchronous interconnection, Isaccea-Vulcanesti-Chisinau. A feasibility study of this electric energy interconnection is carried out at present.      

According to Deputy Economics Minister Valeriu Triboi, the meeting of the joint working group in the energy sector is very important for the Chisinau authorities, as it represents an important step in achieving one of the strategic goals of the Moldovan government – connecting the national energy system to the EU one, through Romania.  

State Secretary at the Romanian Ministry of Economy, Commerce and relations with the Business Environment Sorana Baciu noted that, to implement the projects on interconnection, it was necessary to develop a schedule of well-established actions, with concrete terms and people in charge of their carrying out.   

In this context, at a proposal by State Secretary at the Energy Ministry of Romania Corina Popescu, the sides ruled to set up two groups of experts, both on the dimension of natural gas, and on electric energy, due to deal with the coordination of the works to carry out projects technically, and of a group due to be in charge of the investment component.  

At the meeting, the directors of the enterprises Moldelectrica and Transelectrica, Ghenadie Dimov and Toni Teau signed an agreement on cooperation in the electric energy sector between the two enterprises. The accords provide for works of investments for modernization and development of infrastructure in the electric energy field of Moldova, providing technical assistance by making available experts and highly-skilled specialists. The document also sets that Transelectrica and Moldelectrica will cooperate in implementing projects on carrying out works complementary to the interconnections Isaccea – Vulcanesti – Chisinau, Iasi- Ungheni – Straseni, Suceava – Balti, as well as for constructing back-to-back stations for each line separately.      

(Reporter A. Mardare, editor A. Raileanu)