Moldova has signed a contract for the construction of a strategic 400 kV power line linking the north of the country with Romania, in a project designed to strengthen its energy security and reduce dependence on vulnerable supply routes.
The contract covers the design, equipment supply and construction of the Bălți–Suceava overhead transmission line. It was signed by Moldova’s state-owned transmission system operator Moldelectrica and Turkish company SA-RA, which won the international tender. The construction contract is worth €17.5 million and the work is expected to be completed within 24 months.
The new 400 kV line will run for about 45 kilometres on Moldovan territory, passing through localities in the districts of Glodeni, Fălești, Bălți and Rîșcani. It will form part of a broader electricity corridor between Moldova and Romania, increasing cross-border exchange capacity and improving the reliability of Moldova’s national grid.
The project is part of the Moldova–Romania Electricity Interconnection – Phase II programme, financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and the European Union’s Neighbourhood Investment Platform. The total investment is estimated at around €77–80 million, including an EU grant of about €15.4–16 million.
Moldovan Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu described the Bălți–Suceava project as the country’s “Line of Resilience.” He placed it alongside two other strategic electricity projects: Vulcănești–Chișinău, described as the “Line of Energy Independence,” and Strășeni–Gutinaș, referred to as the “Line of Freedom.” Together, these investments are intended to permanently reshape Moldova’s energy map and deepen its integration with the European electricity system.
The line is not only an infrastructure project but also a geopolitical one. Moldova has spent years trying to reduce its exposure to energy pressure from Russia and to lessen its dependence on electricity routes affected by the war in Ukraine and by the unresolved status of Transnistria. In March 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moldova and Ukraine were synchronised with the Continental European power grid, a step that helped anchor both countries more firmly in Europe’s energy system.
Energy security has remained a sensitive issue for Chișinău. In 2025, Moldova and the separatist region of Transnistria faced renewed energy pressure after Russian gas flows through Ukraine ended, exposing once again how vulnerable the country’s electricity and heating systems were to external shocks. Moldova has since relied increasingly on imports from Romania and other European sources.
EU Ambassador to Moldova Iwona Piorko said the European Union’s support for the project reflects a broader effort to connect Moldova more securely to the European energy market. Every additional interconnection, she argued, brings more security, more opportunities for business and less vulnerability to outside pressure.
For Moldova, the Bălți–Suceava line is expected to bring practical benefits: greater import and export capacity, more stable supply, better grid resilience and a wider range of electricity sources. For the European Union, it is another step in bringing Moldova closer to the EU’s internal energy market at a time when infrastructure, security and geopolitical alignment are increasingly inseparable.
Once completed, the project will strengthen Moldova’s northern electricity corridor with Romania and support the country’s wider ambition to move from energy vulnerability toward energy independence.
