Moldova's National Crisis Management Commission approves new measures to ensure energy security, protect water resources

The National Crisis Management Commission, chaired by Prime Minister Vasile Tofan, today approved a new set of measures for managing the situation in the energy sector and the risks triggered by the low water level of the Dniester River. The decisions aim to ensure the continuity of vital services and to protect the population.

In the context of rising prices on regional markets and the need to import part of the energy consumed, the authorities have approved measures to reduce consumption, maintain system stability and accelerate the development of domestic energy production and storage capacities.

To protect domestic consumption during peak hours, commercial electricity exports will be limited between 18:00 and 22:00. The measure will be implemented by the state enterprise Moldelectrica, with the exception of the quantities needed to fulfill public service obligations related to security of supply.

At the same time, system operators will give priority to examining connection requests for energy storage facilities and for solar and wind power plants equipped with batteries, so that new capacities are connected to the grid as quickly as possible. Authorization procedures will also be simplified for generation and storage projects.

In parallel, the joint-stock company Energocom will identify and contract alternative energy sources from Romania, Ukraine and other markets accessible via transit, and will present procurement scenarios for the next 7–14 days, as well as daily operational reports on price developments and required financial resources. In addition, the state enterprise Moldelectrica will boost cooperation with transmission system operators of Romania and Ukraine, in order to maintain the balance of the power system and, if necessary, activate emergency assistance mechanisms.

The Commission has also approved a set of temporary measures to reduce electricity consumption. Administrators of public buildings and commercial spaces will reduce interior lighting by at least 30 per cent, where possible, and will disconnect lighting in unoccupied rooms. Between 18:00 and 06:00, fountains, shop windows, and decorative, architectural and advertising lighting will be disconnected. Companies with production processes (electric furnaces, melting installations) will reorganize their activity, so that the bulk of consumption occurs outside the time intervals 06:00–09:00 and 18:00–23:00.

Water supply and sewerage service operators will adjust the operation of pumps to reduce energy consumption during the aforementioned time intervals, and public authorities will apply measures to rationalize consumption, including by optimizing public lighting, without affecting essential services.

At the same time, administrators of residential buildings will inform residents about the recommendation to avoid using elevators during peak consumption hours (06:00–09:00 and 18:00–23:00), in order to prevent people from being trapped in the event of possible power outages.

As for the hydrological situation, the Commission has introduced restrictions on the use of drinking water and surface water for non-essential activities, such as washing streets and sidewalks or filling swimming pools and recreational basins. Water will be used with priority for the essential needs of the population.

Water abstraction and irrigation of agricultural land from the Dniester River will be allowed only at night, between 21:00 and 06:00, with priority for horticultural crops. Irrigation will be monitored by the competent authorities, and in areas where the water level reaches critical thresholds, the Environment Ministry will be able to temporarily suspend abstractions.

To ensure continuity of water supply, local authorities will activate backup wells and, where necessary, use available funds to put them into operation. At the same time, public service operators will intensify monitoring of water quality at intake points for drinking water supply by carrying out sampling and laboratory analyses.

The joint-stock company Apa-Canal Chisinau, together with the competent local and central authorities, will carry out the works necessary to maintain the water supply to the Chisinau municipality. Depending on how the situation evolves, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations will prepare its logistical capacities for distributing drinking water by mobile tankers in the affected localities.

The Commission has also ruled reduce by at least 20 per cent the water consumption of industrial economic operators whose activities are not essential for food production, the medical field or public health. In parallel, monitoring of water quality through laboratory analyses will be boosted.