CNMC director about need to maintain state of emergency

The current stability is fragile, and maintaining the state of emergency is a measure of proportionality and responsibility. In this way, the authorities ensure that prices remain fair, that the lights stay on, and that citizens are protected by a vigilant monitoring system, ready to intervene at any second. The statements were made by Director of the National Crisis Management Center (CNMC) Serghei Diaconu, who today presented at the Government meeting a detailed analysis of state interventions to protect the energy security of the Republic of Moldova.

“We do not want emergency measures any longer than strictly necessary. In a relatively short period of time, we managed to move from 182 closed stations to a functional market. We repaired the infrastructure destroyed by the bombings. However, the current stability is fragile due to factors beyond our control. Maintaining the state of emergency is a measure of proportionality and responsibility. We ensure that prices remain fair, that the lights stay on, and that citizens are protected by a vigilant monitoring system, ready to intervene at any second. And after the Easter holidays, we are ready to come forward with the proposal to move from a state of emergency to a state of alert,” said Diaconu at the Government meeting.

According to the head of the CNMC, the crisis in this sector should not be viewed as an isolated event related to the Vulcănești–Isaccea overhead power line, but as a sequence of external shocks that required a gradual, firm and strategically oriented response focused on citizen protection.

“It must be emphasized that, at the time the state of emergency was declared, the national situation was already critical. Global developments and regional pressures had turned vulnerabilities into an acute crisis. Even more serious, the diesel price calculation mechanism, based on a 14-day average, became a barrier: importers no longer had an incentive to bring in fuel that the state forced them to sell at prices based on old quotations, and the issue was no longer the final price for the consumer, but the very availability of the product at the pump. The market was already on the verge of gridlock, and the administrative tools of the state of alert were no longer sufficient to ensure the presence of the product at the pump. In this already tense context, the turning point occurred on March 23, 2026. Russian attacks on infrastructure in southern Ukraine knocked out the 400 kV Vulcănești–Isaccea line, which normally provided about 60–70% of the country’s electricity needs. Energy flows from Romania quickly dropped to 0 MW, generating a massive deficit of 350–400 MW per hour,” Diaconu said.

Under these conditions, a state of emergency was declared, which allowed the authorities to act on two major fronts: the power sector – to keep the lights on in citizens’ homes – and the petroleum products sector – to move from shortage to stability, the CNMC Director stated.

In the power sector, the state of emergency allowed, in particular, record-time repairs to the Isaccea–Vulcănești power line, ensuring electricity supply to citizens and implementing a plan to reduce electricity consumption. At the same time, the measures taken under the state of emergency in the petroleum products sector were the most visible to citizens. If on March 26 there were 182 fuel stations reporting a shortage of diesel, today, after we introduced balancing measures, we are down to only 41 stations (6.9% of the total), Serghei Diaconu reported.

According to the official, an important objective in the crisis management strategy was the protection of the agricultural sector, given that this period of instability overlapped with critical stages of the seasonal agricultural campaign.

“Energy security is directly linked to food security, which is why the diesel reserves intended for agricultural work were continuously monitored, in order to identify and halt in time any major shortage risks for farmers,” Diaconu said.

At the same time, the CNMC head underlined that although the Isaccea–Vulcănești power line has been repaired, risks in the energy sector have not disappeared.

“It is taken into account that the Easter holiday period involves maximum mobility of the population and, implicitly, an increase in fuel consumption due to intensified internal and cross-border travel. At the same time, the shutdown of Combined Heat and Power Plants could significantly reduce cogeneration capacity, by up to 200–220 MW. In parallel, in April, the resumption of activity at full capacity is expected in several industrial sectors, which will generate an additional increase in consumption. Under these conditions, although the market has been stabilized at a coverage level of 6–7 days with available fuels, there is a risk of a gradual decline in these stocks,” the CNMC Director said.

Thus, the official stressed that “maintaining the state of emergency during the Easter holidays is a measure of proportionality and strategic prudence, providing the Government with the necessary levers to prevent any dysfunction at a time of possible vulnerability.”

“This decision is also dictated by the need for a rapid response to a combination of external factors that may evolve and operate in a cascading effect. These factors also include the extreme volatility in the Middle East, where disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to put pressure on global oil and gas flows. Although the ceasefire has led to a decrease in prices, all international and national reports indicate that, in the coming weeks, prices and stock levels will depend on the resumption of maritime transport and the reopening of access routes,” Diaconu noted.

He added that the authorities are working on promoting legislative amendments under which the state of emergency and crisis management activities would be subject to parliamentary oversight. At the same time, a revision of the time limits for the state of alert is being considered, so that it allows a more flexible duration and the application of a broader range of measures, in order to ensure a rapid and effective intervention.