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EnergMin: We wish to fully supply Rep. of Moldova with energy and natural gas from Romania
Energy Minister Virgil Popescu said on Monday that Romania wishes to fully and completely supply the Republic of Moldova with energy and natural gas from Romania, and he mentioned the memorandum approved last week in the Government on strengthening energy cooperation with the neighbouring country,
Asked about the energy relationship with the Republic of Moldova, Virgil Popescu stressed that "it is a priority for us, both in terms of natural gas and electricity supply".
"As far as natural gas is concerned, we have the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline. Last week we approved a memorandum in the Government on strengthening energy cooperation with the Republic of Moldova. We are studying the increase in the interconnection capacity through this pipeline. We are at an advanced stage with the Suceava-Balti project, a 400 kV line to directly link the Republic of Moldova to Romania. We have two options for financing on Romania's territory, REPowerEU or the Modernisation Fund. Our Moldovan colleagues already have the financing for the part on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. Nuclearelectrica and Energocom have already signed a PPA [Power Purchase Agreement, ed.n] contract for Unit 3 and Unit 4. Basically, we want to fully and completely supply the Republic of Moldova with energy and natural gas from Romania," Virgil Popescu mentioned at the Energy Forum organised by Financial Intelligence.
On 17 May, the Government spokesperson, Dan Carbunaru, announced that the Government has approved, by memorandum, a series of decisions aimed at interconnecting the natural gas and electricity networks between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, establishing, among other things, the extension of works on the Iasi - Ungheni - Chisinau gas pipeline through the construction of a transmission pipeline on the Chisinau ring-road.
In an intervention in another session of the same event, the CEO of Nuclearelectrica (SNN) Cosmin Ghita stated that SNN covers not only “almost 20% of Romania’s energy needs”, but also, “in times of crisis, up to 10% of the energy needs of the Republic of Moldova. From this point of view, added Ghita, “Units 3 and 4, benefiting from a direct line to the interconnection point with the Republic of Moldova, can also represent support for our Moldovan partners. We will be able to provide more resilience, more clean energy and an alternate solution [that is not dependent on Russian gas] in terms of electricity production”.
Referring to the project of the new nuclear reactors at Cernavod?, the CEO of Nuclearelectrica welcomed the unanimous adoption in the Romanian Parliament of a support agreement, “a kind of division of responsibilities that very clearly separates the responsibility of the company from the responsibility of the institutions and advances the necessary governmental support.” “We are preparing to enter the next phase of the project”, continued Ghita. “We have made the first steps to notify the European Commission and are having the preliminary discussions. We are about to complete the first evaluations regarding the cooling water and the viability of the existing structures for Units 3 and 4. We are preparing for the negotiation and signing of the EPC contract”, informed Cosmin Ghita.
According to the calendar announced by the company, the preliminary works of Phase 1 of the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract will last 18-24 months. The last stage of the project will consist of carrying out the works for construction, assembly and commissioning, a process estimated to last between 69 and 78 months. Unit 3 is expected to be commissioned in 2030 and Unit 4 in 2031.
(Photo: https://www.romgaz.ro/#(