The support offered by Romania to the Republic of Moldova after Russia's attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The experts' explanations
Romania supplied energy to the Republic of Moldova to overcome the negative effects of Russia's attack on Ukraine's energy system, the experts consulted by “Adevărul” explaining how our country was affected.
Romania supplied energy to the Republic of Moldova to overcome the negative effects of the Russian attack
Moldelectrica announced on Saturday evening that it requested Romania's help to overcome the effects of Russia's attack on Ukraine's energy system, which affected an important energy group.
“Following the attacks on the energy system of Ukraine in the region belonging to the Republic of Moldova, an important energy group was disconnected, and interconnect lines are loaded close to the limit. After exceeding the planned flow, Moldelectrica requested emergency aid from Romania, preventively for the next few hours.
This will maintain the safe operation of the power system and prevent possible overloads”, announced Moldelectrica.
Silviu Gresoi: Romania can quickly send energy on interconnection lines
Asked what effects this event had on Romania, energy expert Silviu Gresoi told “Adevărul” that “operators are calling for help before things get close to tipping point” and that “no reason to worry”.
“When we talk about overload, we mean the situation where the transmission lines carry more current than they can safely handle. At such times, the facilities start working at the limit: the voltage can drop, imbalances occur in the system, and automatic protections can take lines out of service to avoid damage. It all happens very quickly. That's why operators call for help before things approach the critical point.
Romania has the ability to quickly send energy on the interconnection lines, so as to reduce the load on the Moldovan grid. Practically, part of the energy flow is taken over by the Romanian system, and this immediately stabilizes the area under pressure. It is a standard mechanism for cooperation between energy systems, and Romania can activate it without problems thanks to the reserves and flexibility it has.
There are no reasons for concern for consumers in Romania. The amounts of energy sent to Moldova are relatively small compared to our production and consumption, and the Romanian dispatcher manages such transfers day by day. The national energy system is stable, diversified and well sized, so that these interventions are not felt either in the price or in the security of supply. For Romania, it is a one-off operation, which does not put pressure on the domestic market“, said Silviu Gresoi for “Adevărul”.
Chisăliță: Deliveries do not exceed contractual quotas
Asked if these problems can also affect us, energy expert Dumitru Chisăliță, president of the Intelligent Energy Association (AEI) said that it is possible to increase energy supplies from Romania to the Republic of Moldova.
“But deliveries do not exceed contractual quotas. It should not be a problem for Romania“, Chisăliță declared for “Adevărul”.
He explained that the major problem that the Republic of Moldova has now is related to the very high consumption during peak hours. “Dthat's why they appealed to the population to consume electricity rationally. Consumption must decrease during peak hours”the expert explained to “Adevărul”.
The Transport and System Operators, Transelectrica and Moldelectrica, signed contracts that allow the allocation of capacity for the commercial exchange of electricity on the interconnection line between Romania and the Republic of Moldova.
On March 16, 2022, the synchronization of the power systems in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova with the European power system was achieved.
