After gas cutoff, the breakaway region of Moldova faces prolonged blackouts

Local authorities reported that Saturday saw a longer period of rolling power outages in Transdniestria (the pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova), which is now without Russian gas because it no longer transits through Ukraine.

The flow of Russian gas through Ukraine into central and eastern Europe ceased on New Year's Day, after the transit agreement between the two warring nations expired and Kyiv refused a renewal.

Transdniestria is a predominantly Russian-speaking enclave that has lived alongside Moldova since it broke away in the final days of Soviet rule. It received gas from Russian company Gazprom via the pipeline which crosses Ukraine.

The gas was used for a thermal power plant that provided electricity to the local area and a large part of Moldova, under the control of a central government pro-European.

Vadim Krsnoselsky wrote on Telegram, the messaging app that he uses, that power cuts would continue in different districts for four hours on Sunday.

First, Friday evening, after the heating and hot-water supplies had been cut back on. On Saturday, the cuts were extended to three-hours.

"Yesterday, the introduction of rolling cut was a trial. It confirmed that a one-hour break was not enough to maintain the electrical system's operation," Krasnoselsky wrote. The power generated does not cover the sharply increasing demand.

All industries, except those that produce food, have been closed. The separatist region's official Telegram channel announced on Saturday the closure of a Rybnitsa bakery and steel mill.

Regional officials warned residents that temperatures could drop to -10 Celsius (14 Fahrenheit) overnight. Residents were warned not to overload the mobile network in the region.

Using Firewood

After two residents were poisoned by carbon monoxide from a stove, the news channel issued a warning against using heaters that are in poor condition. Pictures online showed servicemen loading trucks with firewood to be distributed.

Krasnoselsky warned residents to not delay gathering firewood. It is best to prepare in advance for the winter, especially with the favorable weather.

The Moldovan government has blamed Russia for the crisis, and called on Gazprom's to ship gas via the Turkstream pipeline through Bulgaria and Romania.

Russia denies that it uses gas to coerce Moldova and accuses Kyiv of refusing to renew a gas transit agreement.

The Transdniestria power cuts are a problem for Moldova particularly because the enclave is home to a power plant which provides most of the power for government-controlled areas of Moldova at a fixed and low price.

The Prime Minister Dorin Recan said that his country was facing a crisis of security after Transdniestria had imposed rolling blackouts. However, he added that the Chisinau Government had also prepared alternative arrangements with a mix of electricity imported from Romania and domestic production.

Gazprom announced that it would stop exports to Moldova as early as January 1, citing unpaid debts in the amount of $709,000,000, according to Russia. Moldova disputes this and puts the figure at $8.6million. (Reporting and editing by David Holmes, Franklin Paul and Ron Popeski)

(source: Reuters)