State of emergency to be declared in Moldova due to fuel prices

State of emergency to be declared in Moldova due to fuel prices

The National Security Council of Moldova has deemed it necessary to introduce a state of emergency in the energy and hydrology sectors following the rise in energy resources and fuel prices.

On September 21, a meeting of the National Security Council was held in the country. Following this, the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, stated the need to introduce a state of emergency. The draft decision will first be adopted by the government and then considered by the parliament on September 22.

According to the president, the government will prepare action plans for several crisis scenarios.

"The government must have the ability to act quickly in the most unexpected situations: if a decision needs to be made immediately on purchasing fuel, if the water level in the Dniester continues to fall, if fuel prices continue to rise," Maia Sandu said.

Special attention will be paid to gas and oil product reserves. The decision was made against the backdrop of a difficult situation in international markets. According to Maia Sandu, the price of gas on the European exchange has exceeded 83 euros per megawatt-hour, while the price of diesel fuel has reached 1,500 dollars per ton. The increase in prices has led to a sharp rise in electricity costs, creating difficulties for the population.

At the same time, the situation on the Dniester remains difficult. From September 1 to 20, the water inflow into the Novodnestrovsk reservoir was only 23 cubic meters per second instead of the average 100–120 cubic meters.

Maia Sandu announced that compensations will be provided to reduce the impact of rising energy prices on the population, and the government will allocate the necessary funds for this.