Moldova switches on 400-kilovolt power line and says it has stopped buying Russian gas

Key Facts

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said her country is not currently buying natural gas from Russia, as a new 400-kilovolt power line was switched on on November 8, 2026. Moldpres reported that Sandu outlined her country’s position on Russian gas, while Moldova’s Energy Ministry announced that the Vulcanesti–Chisinau line and its related substations had been energized at a ceremony attended by Sandu and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. The line strengthens Moldova’s ability to import electricity from Romania and European markets without passing through the MGRES power plant in Transnistria. Sandu said energy independence means the country can choose its sources of supply itself, "without being exposed to pressure and blackmail." The announcement combines an existing shift in gas purchases with a new investment in the electricity grid, as Chisinau seeks to diversify supply routes.

Chisinau began halting purchases of Gazprom gas for the right bank of the Dniester River in December 2022, covering demand with gas bought on the European market, Moldpres reported, citing the Energy Ministry. Before that, Gazprom cut gas supplies to Moldova in October 2021, then restricted them again in the fall of 2022, according to the ministry. On January 1, 2025, the Russian company stopped delivering gas to Moldovagaz despite a contract remaining in force until 2026, the same source said. The ministry said the disruption left consumers in Transnistria without gas, electricity, heating or hot water. Russian supplies to Transnistria stopped after the gas transit agreement through Ukraine expired, according to Moldpres’ coverage of Sandu’s remarks. The announcement that Moldova is not buying gas therefore does not mean that all parts of the country were receiving gas from the same source or that supply cuts began on the same date.

The Vulcanesti–Chisinau line stretches roughly 157 kilometers, connecting the 400-kilovolt Vulcanesti substation to the 330-kilovolt Chisinau substation, according to the Moldovan government. The Energy Ministry said that once operational, the line would be able to carry more than 50% of the country’s electricity consumption and would also enable imports from Romania and the European market without passing through the MGRES power plant in Transnistria. The ministry described the project as increasing electricity transmission capacity, diversifying supply routes and strengthening Moldova’s connection to the European energy system. Kos said the project represents "a major step toward a more secure, resilient national energy system that is less vulnerable to external factors." The project is being implemented under Moldova’s Energy System Development Project, funded by the World Bank Group. Moldova’s electricity system was previously synchronized with the European ENTSO-E network in March 2022, according to the government.

Government data show that electricity imports from European Union markets, particularly Romania, accounted for 22% of the energy mix in 2022, then 10% in 2023 and 11% in 2024. The share rose to about 50% during the first two weeks of 2025, according to the government document. The government said about 50% of the right bank’s electricity needs came from Romania starting on January 1, 2025, after supplies from the Moldavskaya GRES plant stopped. The figures place the new line within an existing shift toward greater reliance on European imports, while adding a direct route that bypasses the Transnistrian bottleneck. In an update dated October 28, 2026, the government said the project team had asked for a commission to accept the construction works to be formed, describing this as the final step before the line entered service and commercial operation.

The government’s next stated priority is to build a 400-kilovolt power link between Suceava in Romania and Balti in Moldova, targeting completion by the end of 2027. The plan follows the launch of the Vulcanesti–Chisinau line, which connects the country’s south to the capital and enables electricity imports via the Romanian route. The Energy Ministry said diversifying supply routes and strengthening European connectivity are among the new line’s objectives. Sandu also linked energy independence to freedom of supplier choice and reducing exposure to pressure. Based on the capacity announced by the ministry, the line provides an additional option capable of carrying more than half of national electricity consumption. The planned link to Balti remains the next project identified in the government’s program to expand electricity interconnections.