Ukraine Offers Assistance to Moldova in Overcoming Transnistria’s Energy Crisis, Providing Coal for Power Plants
On Wednesday, 8 January, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Moldova Maia Sandu discussed the possibility of using Ukrainian coal in Transnistria.
‘An important task now is to help Moldova overcome energy challenges and prevent Moscow from fuelling social tensions. We are ready to help,’ Zelenskyy wrote.
The President of Ukraine stressed that the crisis arose due to ‘Russia's attempts to manipulate energy resources’ to the detriment of the pro-European government of Moldova, and stressed the importance of ensuring stability and normal living conditions for all residents of the country.
In turn, Sandu said in a statement published on the president's official website that the leaders had agreed to find common solutions to prevent the humanitarian crisis from worsening, in particular through the use of alternative energy sources such as coal.
The Ukrainian coal could be used to run a thermal power plant that supplies electricity not only to the Transnistrian region controlled by pro-Russian separatists, but also to most of Moldova's other government territories.
Earlier, the pro-Russian separatist ‘authorities’ in unrecognised Transnistria refused to take up Moldova's offer to buy gas from Europe, saying it would lead to purchases at ‘higher and more unstable’ prices. The local ‘authorities’ hope to resume supplies from Russia's Gazprom. As of now, this decision has left tens of thousands of people without gas, facing a lack of heat, electricity and, in some cases, access to drinking water in the face of cold weather and economic hardship.
The Transnistrian ‘authorities’ also urged residents to solve the problem with electric heaters, as electricity is still an affordable resource, as the Dniester SDPP continues to operate on fuel oil and coal reserves, which should last until the end of winter. However, with a sharp spike in electricity consumption to compensate for the missing gas and the onset of cold weather, they could be depleted much faster.
As a reminder, on 1 January 2025, Russian Gazprom suspended natural gas supplies to Moldova, contrary to contractual obligations, allegedly ‘due to debts owed by the Moldovagaz gas transmission company’.
On 1 January, following the cessation of Russian gas supplies, central heating was cut off in Transnistria in residential buildings, budgetary institutions and organisations of all forms of ownership.
On 2 January, due to the lack of energy resources in the region, industrial enterprises stopped working.
On 3 January, rolling blackouts were introduced in Transnistria.