Romania and Moldova have asked the European Commission (EC) for a temporary derogation from the CO2 certificate requirements for the production of electricity in Romania that goes to the Republic of Moldova, where there is a state of emergency in the energy system, said the Romanian minister of energy Sebastian Burduja, as reported by Economedia.ro.

Minister Burduja explained that this exemption from paying carbon certificates "would help the government of Moldova bear this expense."

Currently, Moldova imports some 50%-60% of its electricity from Romania, part of it from the day-ahead market, after Russia cut the natural gas supplies. A significant part of the electricity is imported under contracts signed directly with Nuclearelectrica and possibly with OMV Petrom. 

As a result, the end-user prices paid by the households in Moldova increased by 65%-75% as of January 2025 to around EUR 0.24 per kWh, which is a price comparable to that paid in the European Union (where the wages are much higher) and well above the regulated price paid by the Romanian households.

The government of Moldova is providing subsidies to low-income families.

iulian@romania-insider.com

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