Moldovan govt takes decision not to cancel state of emergency in energy sector, will discuss situation on April 23

CHISINAU. April 8 (Interfax) - The government of Moldova has decided not to call off the state of emergency in the country's energy sector, announced on March 25, before it is due to end, Prime Minister Alexander Munteanu said at a government meeting on Wednesday.

"The risks have not disappeared [...] after the Easter holidays, on April 23, Parliament will examine the repeal of the state of emergency," Munteanu is quoted as saying by news agency Moldpres.

At the beginning of this month, Munteanu said that the government would appeal to the parliament on April 9 with a proposal to call off the state of emergency.

"We had planned and were preparing to go to Parliament this Thursday with a proposal to repeal it - as I announced last week during the cabinet meeting. Regrettably, reality has changed. The situation on foreign markets remains extremely volatile," the prime minister said.

The National Crisis Management Center (CNMC) forecasts that consumption of petroleum products will grow in April, taking into account the Easter holidays and the growth in the number of journeys made at the weekends. A seasonal pause in the work of thermal power plants is also expected, which could significantly reduce cogeneration capacities, to 200-220 MW. In April, there are plans to restore facilities in a range of industrial sectors to their full capacity, leading to an additional increase in consumption. In these conditions, though the market stabilized at a coverage level of 6-7 days of available fuel, there is still a risk that these reserves could begin gradually decreasing again, the CNMC was cited at the government meeting as saying in its report.

The Moldovan government brought in a state of emergency lasting 60 days on March 25, after the Isaccea-Vulcanesti electricity transmission line was cut off on March 23 due to damage on Ukrainian territory. The transmission line connects the power systems of Moldova and Romania and facilitates the import of up to 70% of the electricity consumed in Moldova. The decision to announce the state of emergency was connected with the risk of a petroleum product shortage due to their rising price and possible supply disruptions amid the Middle East crisis.

The Moldovan Ministry of Energy reported that the transmission line had been restored on March 28.