Moldova again avoids power cuts through emergency measures, regional cooperation

The joint stock company (JSC) Energocom announces that for March 27, the entire electricity consumption demand of Moldova has been fully covered on a commercial basis. This result was achieved following urgent technical coordination, after earlier cross-border capacity shortages had been signaled, which endangered grid’s stability during peak hours.

According to the authorities, the success of the operation is due to a joint effort by JSC Energocom, the Energy Ministry and the transmission system operator Moldelectrica, in close cooperation with the transmission operators from Romania and Ukraine, as well as with European partners.

"This mobilization made it possible to reallocate the necessary commercial capacities, in order to avoid planned disconnections during the critical evening interval between 18:00 and 22:00," Energocom emphasizes.

According to the cited source, in the context of warnings about insufficient transmission capacity (NTC) for the current day, an extraordinary technical meeting between the involved system operators took place today morning. Following the discussions, emergency mechanisms were applied to reallocate capacity on the IntraDay market, thus facilitating last-minute purchases needed to balance the system.

According to data provided by Energocom, for March 27 a total volume of 11,649 MWh was purchased.

"The structure of the energy sources supplying the country today is as follows: 44.5 per cent is energy produced locally, coming from combined heat and power plants (CHPs) and from renewable energy sources (RES); 28.5 per cent consists of already existing bilateral import contracts; 27 per cent represents energy purchased from trading platforms in Romania and Ukraine, through auctions held today," Energocom notes.

At the same time, the energy authorities warn that the situation stays unstable. Technical limitations at the level of import infrastructure persist, which means that the risks of failing to fully cover consumption in the coming days cannot be completely ruled out.

Technical teams make daily consumption forecasts and plan purchases for the immediate periods ahead, but the balance of the power system also largely depends on consumers’ behavior. In this regard, JSC Energocom and the Energy Ministry  urge citizens to act with maximum responsibility and to use electricity rationally, especially during peak hours: in the morning between 06:00 and 09:00, and in the evening between 17:00 and 23:00. Reducing non-essential consumption during these periods directly contributes to preventing shortages and to maintaining the uninterrupted operation of energy services for the entire population.