Moldova declares energy emergency amid outage from Ukraine power line strike

Moldova’s government introduced a 60-day state of emergency in the energy sector on Tuesday after drone attacks in southern Ukraine on Monday night caused the disconnection of the country's main electricity supply line.

The emergency period is set to begin on March 25, according to an extraordinary government meeting broadcast on social media.
"Drone attacks caused the disconnection of the main electricity line supplying Moldova, Isaccea–Vulcanești. Authorities activated four interconnection lines with Romania, but the situation remains complicated. Russia is the only responsible for this," prime minister Alexandru Munteanu said message to the public posted on social media ahead of the emergency government meeting.
The decision is pending approval by parliament, which is scheduled to convene later on Tuesday.
The Isaccea–Vulcanesti overhead power line is a critical link that normally supplies between 60% and 70% of electricity consumption on the right bank of Moldova, the National Crisis Management Center said in a press release. "Attempts to automatically reconnect the line have failed. The technical faults identified on Ukrainian territory, at the conductor support elements, indicate a severe short circuit that requires specialized intervention," Sergiu Diaconu, head of the National Crisis Management Center, said. Although the system is currently operating in stable conditions, by relying on 110 kV lines in island mode and the reconnection of the 330 kV Balti–Dnistrovsk overhead line, these solutions are limited and can cover only a fraction of national demand, Diaconu added.

The state of emergency allows the government to act quickly to secure energy supplies, allocate funds for electricity and emergency equipment, and, if required, impose consumption limits or special rules on economic operators to safeguard critical infrastructure and essential services.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Maia Sandu condemned the attacks. "Russia’s strikes on civilian energy infrastructure in Ukraine are a war crime — and an attack on all of us. Overnight strikes disconnected Moldova’s key power link with Europe. Alternative routes are in place, but the situation remains fragile. Russia alone bears responsibility," Sandu said in a post on social media.
The 60-day emergency follows a March 4 state of alert in the energy sector in response to regional risks and external market volatility amid the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.