Moldova cuts Russian energy link with new 400kV line to Romania

Moldova inaugurated a 400-kilovolt extra-high-voltage power line connecting Vulcanești to Chișinău on Sunday, formally joining the European energy grid and reducing its dependence on the Cuciurgan thermal power plant in Transnistria, the pro-Moscow separatist region that had long served as the country's primary electricity source.

"For decades, Moscow used energy to blackmail us," President Maia Sandu said. "No more: Moldova buys zero Russian gas."

Sandu, speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Chișinău, described the project as strengthening Moldova's electricity transmission capacity and reinforcing its connection to the European energy system. She added that "two more power lines to Romania are on the way."

European Commissioner for Energy Marta Kos attended the ceremony and said Moldova could now "buy energy where it is cheapest."

Dubbed the "energy independence line", the interconnection was launched two years later than Moldovan authorities had initially promised. Moldova, a country of 2.6 million people situated between Romania and Ukraine, had received most of its gas from Russia via Transnistria and pipelines running through Ukraine.

The inauguration comes as Moldova faces acute energy pressure. Last month, Moldova's parliament approved a government-requested state of emergency until 20 November to ease gas shortages amid soaring world energy prices. Some European governments have blamed Moscow for withholding additional supplies to pressure the continent.

Sandu noted the pattern of coercion directly, saying that "every time Moldova dares to choose something other than what Moscow wants," they threaten to cut the country's electricity.