Brussels – More than €300 million allocated for 2025, along with funding for actions and investments aimed at enhancing energy resilience and independence until the end of 2026. The European Commission and Moldova have agreed on a two-year strategy with a two-fold objective of decoupling Chișinău “from the insecurities of Russian supply” of energy while “fully integrating” into the EU energy market.
On 4 February, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Prime Minister of Moldova Dorin Recean signed the Comprehensive Strategy for Energy Independence and Resilience of Moldova in Chișinău. This strategy will provide €250 million in 2025, including €100 million “by mid-April.” Additionally, as part of the same strategy, an offer of €60 million has been made available for the people in the Transnistrian region, “subject to conditions.”
“Energy security is fundamental for a country’s prosperity in times of geopolitical uncertainty,” Commissioner Kos stated, highlighting the EU’s support in helping Chișinău “regain control over its energy destiny.” In the short term, the overall package will assist Moldovan consumers “who are facing steep price increases” by compensating “all excess electricity costs” for households consuming up to 110 kWh per month until 31 December 2025.
It will also allow for the compensation of the entire increase in electricity costs for social institutions, including kindergartens, schools, and hospitals. An additional €15 million will be provided to support the energy bills of agro-food and manufacturing businesses. Through the mobilisation of international financial institutions, an additional €50 million will be available for sustainable investments in energy efficiency projects by local public authorities, households, and SMEs
The EU strategy
The Strategy signed in Chișinău will be implemented in three phases to address “both immediate needs and long-term challenges.” The first phase includes €30 million in emergency support, announced on 27 January, with €20 million allocated for the urgent purchase of gas to meet the basic needs of the population in the Transnistrian separatist region.
The second phase will provide an additional €100 million in financial support until mid-April to help alleviate higher energy bills for consumers. The final phase involves financing actions and investments outlined in the Reform Agenda under the Moldova Growth Plan, with implementation extending until the end of 2026. As anticipated by the European Commission, the Growth Plan is expected to deliver a first tranche “before the summer,” aimed at boosting the country’s economy and supporting its EU accession process.
To date, the EU has allocated €240 million in direct budget support to Moldova’s energy sector between 2021 and 2024, targeting the most vulnerable populations. Since 2022, Chișinău’s power grid has been connected to the European continental electricity network. On 1 December 2024, the export capacity from the EU to Ukraine and Moldova was increased from 1.7 to 2.1 GW. Later that month, an agreement was reached allowing Chișinău to access additional capacity left unused by Kyiv.
The energy crisis in Moldova
Since 16 December 2024, the Republic of Moldova has been in a state of emergency in the energy sector, as formalised by a vote in Parliament requested by Prime Minister Recean. However, the crisis truly escalated on 1 January 2025, when Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom ceased gas deliveries to the separatist region of Transnistria via Ukraine, after the contract between Gazprom and Kyiv expired.
Although Russia could continue supplying gas to Moldova via the trans-Balkan pipeline, which passes through Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania, Gazprom refused, citing Chișinău’s significant debts from previous years. The most recent contract between Gazprom and Moldovagaz, signed in October 2021, was scheduled to expire in 2026. Under the agreement, Gazprom was to provide Moldova with 3.3 billion cubic metres of gas annually—2.06 bcm for Transnistria and 1.24 bcm for the rest of the country.
By December 2022, Gazprom was only supplying gas to Transnistria, as the government in Chișinău had stopped purchasing Russian gas to avoid funding the war machine sustained by revenues from gas and oil. However, Moldova remains heavily dependent on the power plants in the separatist region, that cannot function properly without a steady gas supply. In short, any disruption in the gas supply to Transnistria jeopardises the electricity situation across the rest of the country.
