Romania will support the interconnectivity with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to ensure increased energy security in the region. Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania will collaborate to integrate their electricity markets with the aim of diversifying offerings for consumers and ensuring secure access to electricity at fair prices.
Representatives from the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) of the Republic of Moldova, the National Energy Regulatory Authority of Romania, the National Commission for Energy Regulation and Communal Services of Ukraine, “Transelectrica,” and OPCOM met in Chisinau from December 7 to 8 to discuss the benefits of integrating the regional electricity market. The workshop was organized in Chisinau by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) of the United States, with financial support from USAID.
Alexandru Ursu, director of the ANRE Management Board, mentioned at the event that Moldova has gone through an unprecedented period in the last two years due to the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine.
“Record prices and the risk of disruptions in electricity supply have caused major transformations in the energy market in the Republic of Moldova. We have been forced to find quick solutions and accelerate the connection and procurement of electricity from Romania, as well as identify new natural gas suppliers from the West. These events have shown us how important it is to cooperate, to stand in solidarity with each other, to ensure the energy security of the state,” noted Alexandru Rusu, quoted in a press release from ANRE.
During the event, representatives of ANRE Romania shared their experience in creating the electricity market, while Transelectrica and OPCOM representatives presented the steps they have taken, as well as the technical parameters that market operators and power system operators must undertake to achieve the coupling of electricity markets for the next day and throughout the day.
National regulatory authorities from Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania agreed, at the end of the event, to continue their cooperative efforts to prepare and create the necessary conditions for the integration of organized electricity markets. ANRE Romania assured that it would support interconnectivity with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to ensure increased energy security in the region.