Transdniestria, a pro-Russian territory in Moldova, is suffering new electricity cuts after the shutdown of Russian gas. The separatist authorities are struggling to maintain energy supplies and the situation could get even worse. Discover the latest developments in this crisis which affects half a million inhabitants.
Transdniestria, this small pro-Russian separatist territory wedged between Moldova and Ukraine, finds itself once again plunged into darkness. Since the cessation of Russian gas deliveries on January 1, considered vital for its half-million inhabitants, local authorities have struggled to maintain electricity supplies. Faced with this acute energy crisis, new power cuts were introduced this Saturday, causing concern among the population.
Longer and longer cuts
After shutting down many industrial companies on Thursday and imposing first cuts for individuals on Friday, the separatist government decided to tighten restrictions. This Saturday, power cuts were extended to three consecutive hours, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time. According to separatist leader Vadim Krasnosselski, one-hour breaks were no longer enough to guarantee the security of the electricity network. Experts are even calling for the duration of outages to be increased to four hours from tomorrow.
The debt conflict with Gazprom
Until now, the Russian giant Gazprom supplied Transdniestria with gas via the local supplier Tiraspoltransgaz, without this company paying the bill. As Transdniestria was not recognized by the international community, payment requests were sent to the Moldovan capital Chisinau, gradually increasing the country’s debt to Gazprom. The exact amount of this debt crystallizes the tensions:
-The conflict over the amount of the debt to be paid to Gazprom – estimated at more than 700 million dollars by Moscow but estimated at only around 9 million by Chisinau – pushed the Russian giant to turn off the tap from January 1.
Moldova spared thanks to Romanian aid
If the rest of Moldova is protected from cuts for the moment, it is notably thanks to aid provided by neighboring Romania and energy saving measures implemented in the country. Excluding Transdniestria, Moldova has no longer received Russian gas since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. However, it still depends largely on the Cuciurgan power plant, located in separatist territory, for its electricity needs.
An uncertain energy future
Russia also stopped its gas deliveries to the European Union via Ukraine on January 1, after the expiration of a transit contract that kyiv refused to renew. This decision accentuates the energy isolation of Transdniestria and the uncertainties weighing on the supply of its population. If no solution is found quickly, the spectrum of even longer and more frequent power outages looms on the horizon. A disaster scenario that the separatist authorities hope to avoid at all costs, without having obvious levers for immediate action.
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