MOLDOVA COULD RETURN TO PURCHASING ENERGY FROM MOLDGRES

Recently, there have been reports that Moldova may resume energy purchases from MoldGRES. This is despite the fact that in February 2025, the government publicly committed to abandoning energy from Russian sources, which are often used as a means of political pressure. In exchange for this commitment, the Republic of Moldova received €250 million in financial support from the European Commission. However, the government did not ask the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) to change the rules for energy procurement so that the MoldGRES power plant would be excluded from tenders.

The current rules, established by ANRE, allow any producer who can prove that they have no debts for the fuel used in energy production to participate in auctions. Here’s the catch: MoldGRES buys gas from TiraspolTransgaz-Pridnestrovie, and the price of gas is set by the so-called government in Tiraspol. So, the plant can easily get a document showing it has no debts and, this way, can legally take part in tenders organized in Moldova.

Under these circumstances, there is a real risk that Moldova will resume purchasing energy from MoldGRES, which would mean money flowing back into the separatist region. Suppliers from Ukraine cannot participate in tenders due to energy shortages and massive power outages. This leaves only suppliers from Romania, where energy is more expensive – over €125 per megawatt-hour.

Since the Transnistrian region does not pay for the gas it consumes, MoldGRES can afford to offer a price that is “slightly lower” than that in Romania (e.g., €124.5/MWh), and Moldovan suppliers would have no legal grounds to reject such an offer. For comparison, in 2024, the Republic of Moldova purchased energy from MoldGRES at a price of approximately €60/MWh (or $66/MWh).