Government approves declaration of state of emergency in energy and hydrological sectors

The Government today approved decisions to declare a state of emergency in the energy and hydrological sectors for a period of 60 days, beginning on September 26. Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said the measure was necessary to allow the authorities to intervene quickly with the actions required to ensure citizens’ access to energy and water resources amid regional developments. The draft decisions will be submitted to Parliament for consideration, with lawmakers scheduled to convene today at 2:30 p.m.

At the Government meeting, Serghei Diaconu, director of the National Crisis Management Center (CNMC), presented the reasons necessitating the declaration of a state of emergency. According to him, the state of alert expires on September 25, but the risks that led to its introduction have not disappeared; instead, they have intensified against the backdrop of regional developments. Under these circumstances, “we need mechanisms to intervene quickly,” the CNMC director said.

Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu said that, amid regional developments and rising gas prices on European exchanges, “there is a serious risk that the price paid by consumers will increase in the coming period.” “We need the authorities to be able to respond quickly,” Dorin Junghietu stressed.

In this context, Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said that the authorities would examine the possibility of providing energy compensation to a larger number of people during the next cold season.

The draft decisions were examined by the Government after the National Security Council, which met on Monday, September 21, agreed on the need to declare a state of emergency in the energy and hydrological sectors, so that institutions would have the necessary tools to intervene quickly in the event of major disruptions and to ensure the country’s supply of electricity, natural gas, and petroleum products.

Since July 28, the Republic of Moldova has been under a state of alert in the energy and hydrological sectors. This was initially introduced for a period of 30 days and subsequently extended for another 30 days, allowing the authorities to take prompt action to prevent risks to the country’s supply of energy and water resources.