Moldova inaugurated on Sunday the Vulcănești–Chișinău overhead power line, also called the “Energy Independence Line,” strengthening its link to Romania and the European market, Agerpres reports, citing AFP and Moldpres.

The route runs about 157 kilometres and connects the 400 kV Vulcănești substation with the 330 kV Chișinău substation. Officials say the new infrastructure diversifies supply routes and reduces reliance on the Cuciurgan energy node on the left bank of the Dniester.

President Maia Sandu, Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos and World Bank representatives attended the ceremony. The project was financed with roughly €61 million through a World Bank loan approved in 2019.

Junghietu said the line eases access to electricity from Romania and the European market after years of crises and delays linked in part to the war in Ukraine. For citizens, he argued, the payoff should be a country better prepared to secure supply and less exposed to shocks.

Sandu said energy independence means being able to choose where to buy power without blackmail. She noted that in the first 30 years of independence Moldova underinvested in interconnections and stayed vulnerable to Russian pressure. External prices remain high, she warned, so the government will still need to cushion consumers through winter.

Commissioner Kos said dependence on Russian energy can now be considered over: Moldova has more options and can buy power where it is cheapest. Further Romania links — Bălți–Suceava and Strășeni–Gutinaș — are already in preparation.

Source: Moldova inaugurates a new power line connecting it with Romania — Agerpres