President explains current energy crisis and urges reduced consumption during peak hours

The Republic of Moldova is facing an energy crisis caused by weather conditions in the region, and reducing energy consumption during peak hours can lessen the need to purchase electricity at very high prices, thereby avoiding pressure on tariffs. President Maia Sandu made the statement during a TV show. The head of state noted that the authorities and companies in the energy sector are taking all necessary measures to ensure the country’s supply of electricity.

Maia Sandu noted that the energy deficit is caused by the low water level of the Danube, which affects electricity production in several European states. According to the president, institutions and enterprises in the energy sector are making efforts to secure the energy needed by the country, including through purchases at high prices, and planned outages are a last-resort solution, applied only if energy can no longer be procured.

“State institutions and enterprises in the energy sector are doing their job, trying to find the energy that is not available. So far we have managed. The institutions or enterprises are obliged to buy even at a high price, that is, at the exaggerated price we talked about. And only if they do not find it, if they cannot buy at this price, only then can they resort to planned outages. We will see depending on what happens in the next few days,” the president explained.

The head of state warned that if the energy purchase price exceeds the level included in the current tariff, the authorities might be forced to consider adjusting tariffs.

“If, at some point, the price paid by the enterprises that purchase energy exceeds the price included in the tariff, we may have to discuss an increase in tariffs. We do not want this, and I am sure nobody wants this,” Maia Sandu said.

The president issued a new call to the population to reduce energy consumption during peak hours, emphasizing that this can reduce the need to purchase energy at very high prices.

“My request to citizens is to save energy during peak hours so that we do not have to buy a lot of electricity at very high prices. I thank those who have heard the authorities’ appeal and reduced their consumption. It would be good for others to do the same, because only in this way can we keep prices at a lower level,” the head of state said.

Referring to critical reactions on social media to the calls for energy saving, Maia Sandu stated that they do not reflect the opinion of the majority of citizens and attributed the phenomenon to a lack of trust in institutions and to disinformation.

“I don’t think we should judge only by some statements on Facebook, because people who heed this appeal do not write much. There is a general problem of institutional credibility and the spread of conspiracy theories. Some people do not make the connection between the lack of precipitation and the way power plants operate, while others still do not believe in climate change,” the president said.

Maia Sandu stressed that the effects of climate change are increasingly evident and that saving resources, including electricity and water, must become a permanent practice, not just a temporary measure in times of crisis.

For the second day in a row, Energocom company announces an electricity deficit during peak hours. The authorities are calling on citizens to save energy in order to avoid outages.