Moldova limits elevator use and cuts lighting as energy crisis deepens; Romania restarts thermal plant

Moldova's emergency measures

On 3 August, Moldova's National Crisis Management Commission adopted a package of measures to cope with dwindling electricity availability and low water levels on the Dniester River. The country had already declared a state of alert in the energy sector and a hydrological alert on 28 July. The commission ordered state-owned Moldelectrica to suspend commercial electricity exports between 18:00 and 22:00, except for public service obligations, to prioritise domestic supply during peak hours. Public and commercial buildings must reduce interior lighting by at least 30% where possible, and decorative, architectural and advertising lighting must be switched off between 18:00 and 06:00. Fountains will also be turned off during that window.

Industrial and water restrictions

Energy-intensive industrial enterprises are required to reorganise operations so that heavy consumption falls outside the 06:00–09:00 and 18:00–23:00 intervals. Water and sewage operators must adjust pump schedules to cut energy use during the same periods. Building administrators have been told to advise residents to avoid using lifts during the morning peak (06:00–09:00) to prevent people becoming trapped in the event of power cuts. Non-essential water use, such as street and pavement washing, is also restricted. The state energy trader Energocom has been tasked with sourcing alternative electricity from Romania, Ukraine and other accessible markets, and must present purchase scenarios for the next 7–14 days. Grid operator Moldelectrica will step up cooperation with transmission operators in Romania and Ukraine, while procedures for connecting battery storage and new renewable plants will be accelerated.

Romania's energy alert

Romania entered a national energy alert on 1 August after one of the two units at the Cernavodă nuclear plant was shut down and the second faced risk due to critically low Danube flows. Together the reactors normally supply about 20% of the country's electricity. Interim prime minister and energy minister Ilie Bolojan urged citizens to reduce consumption in the evening and announced an agreement with Ukraine for power imports. Defence minister Radu Miruță, a former energy minister, blamed years of policy failures.

Romania has shut down production capacities at a crazy pace and, in their place, presented only promises and projects that never materialised.

In a show of solidarity, wood-panel producer Kronospan, one of Romania's largest industrial electricity consumers, said it would gradually shut down some production lines to cut its consumption by up to 50%, without affecting customer deliveries. Meanwhile, Electrocentrale București (ELCEN) restarted the CET Grozăvești cogeneration plant, adding about 30 MW to the national grid and supplying roughly 40 Gcal of thermal energy for Bucharest's hot water. CET Sud is also running, producing around 60 Gcal. ELCEN is preparing to bring the CET Progresu plant back online by mid-August.

EU monitoring and next steps

The European Commission said it is closely monitoring the situation in Romania, Hungary and the wider Southeast Europe region.

At this stage, there is no immediate risk to security of supply.

The Commission added it is in contact with national authorities and ENTSO-E and stands ready to convene an ad-hoc meeting of the Electricity Coordination Group, possibly as a regional discussion involving the most affected member states.