Authorities in Moldova’s separatist Transdniestria region said on Saturday that energy conservation measures had allowed them to ease restrictions caused by a halt to Russian gas supplies, with the duration of rolling blackouts to be further reduced.
Transdniestria’s pro-Russian leaders said daily rolling blackouts would be reduced to three hours on Sunday from eight hours earlier this week, but on Sunday they said the cut-off time would be extended to five hours from Monday.
Moldova’s pro-European central government renewed its criticism of Russia, saying it caused the energy crisis and now wants to portray itself as the power that was coming to the separatist region’s rescue. Transdniestria, which split from Moldova at the end of Soviet rule, has relied on Russian gas shipped through Ukraine. Authorities in Ukraine, locked in a 34-month conflict with Russia, refused to extend a transit deal into 2025.
Many factories in the region have switched to night shifts, when the power grid is under less strain, but authorities said one plant, a cement manufacturer in the town of Rybnitsa, had closed down. A steel mill of critical importance to the region also closed in the city.
The region’s leaders said it had enough gas until the end of January, citing energy conservation measures. However, Moldova’s central government accused Russia of artificially creating the energy crisis to destabilize the country ahead of this summer’s parliamentary election.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu has said Gazprom could supply gas to Transdniestria via an alternative route, the Turkstream pipeline through Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania. Transdniestria’s fight for independence from Moldova ended in 1992, and the region still hosts 1,500 Russian soldiers.
