In January, Moldova plans to import around 62% of its electricity needs from Romania, excluding the separatist region of Transnistria, which operates independently. According to projections from state-owned energy trader Energocom, during nighttime hours when electricity consumption decreases, the share of imports is expected to drop to about 50%.
Following the cessation of natural gas deliveries by Gazprom to Moldova on 1 January 2025, Energocom has reduced its reliance on electricity from Transnistria’s MoldGRES gas-fired power plant to 40% as of December. The shortfall will be covered by electricity imports from Romania, mainly from the day-ahead market. However, Energocom notes that imports from Romania are limited by both commercial capacity at the border and the technical capacity of interconnectors, which currently stands at just over 315 MW. This is significantly lower than Moldova’s peak-hour electricity consumption, which exceeds 700 MW. After the Orthodox Christmas holiday period ends on 8 January, industrial electricity restrictions may be required due to rising consumption.
The cost of electricity in Moldova is expected to increase, as a significant portion of the imports will come from the Romanian day-ahead market. Around 39% of Moldova’s total electricity consumption will be sourced from Romania’s OPCOM market. Additionally, 16.3% will be supplied by Nuclearelectrica, which will provide 100 MW continuously, while 6.7% will come from other bilateral agreements, including electricity from OMV Petrom’s Brazi gas-fired power plant, which will deliver 100 MW for 16 hours daily and smaller amounts during off-peak hours.
Renewable energy is expected to contribute about 10.1% of Moldova’s electricity consumption in January, although output will be intermittent.
