Dorin Junghietu stated that the Republic of Moldova does not have the most expensive energy in Europe, responding to growing public dissatisfaction with utility bills, reports BANI.MD.
“There are countries, both in the European Union and in continental Europe, where gas and electricity prices are significantly higher than those paid by final consumers in Moldova,” the minister said.
Asked about the risk that Romania might fail to supply enough electricity—potentially leading to outages—Junghietu said such a scenario is unlikely. He explained that Moldova’s electricity consumption is much lower than Romania’s and that imports of 300–400 MW do not represent a major burden for the neighboring country. However, he noted that current challenges relate more to limited interconnection capacity.
The minister warned that power outages could have serious economic consequences, including significant impacts on GDP.
Addressing concerns about energy dependence, Junghietu rejected claims that Moldova has merely shifted from one dependency to another. “Dependence on the East was based on blackmail. It kept the country captive and influenced economic development directions,” he said.
He also linked high utility bills to the condition of the energy system, noting that Moldova inherited aging infrastructure that requires constant investment, partly reflected in consumer costs. As an example, he cited the January 2026 blackout caused by a power line that had been in operation for over 50 years.
Junghietu added that the system still faces risks due to its connection with the Cuciurgan Power Plant, but said this vulnerability will decrease once the Vulcanesti–Chisinau line is completed.
“It is a vulnerability, but it will be reduced because the Chisinau Energy Hub will connect directly to the continental European network from the Vulcanesti station and will no longer rely on MGRES,” the minister concluded.