Prime Minister Dorin Recean, in talks with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken: "The Republic of Moldova and the United States cooperate to deliver what matters most to citizens - peace and well-being"

May 30, 2024, Brăila – Prime Minister Dorin Recean and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, visited the Brăila power station, Chisinau municipality, one of the locations where the large-scale electricity storage systems will be installed in batteries. The 85 million dollar investment was announced yesterday by the American official and is part of the 300 million dollar support package of the United States for the energy sector of the Republic of Moldova, announced in 2023.

The head The executive appreciated the constant support offered to our country by the American side, noting that a similar amount was allocated last year to help the Government of Chisinau compensate citizens' bills for the consumption of energy resources. According to the prime minister, US aid is not limited to the energy sector, but extends to areas such as economic growth, justice reform, the fight against corruption, the agri-food sector, but also increasing the resilience of state institutions.  

"The Republic of Moldova and the United States are cooperating to deliver what matters most to citizens - peace and well-being. We will continue to implement the essential reforms to ensure a prosperous and secure future for citizens and integrate our country into the European Union, and US support remains essential in achieving these ambitious goals," said Prime Minister Dorin Recean.

For his part, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, reaffirmed the strong support of the United States aimed at helping the Republic of Moldova in developing a more resilient, efficient and sustainable energy sector. "Continued US assistance will support Chisinau authorities in continuing reform efforts. We will help the Republic of Moldova to build a democratic, prosperous and sovereign future", said the US Secretary of State.

Thanks to the US investment, the necessary equipment will be procured and installed to strengthen the national energy network of our country and facilitate increased electricity trade with Romania, Ukraine and the European market. The new large-scale Battery Electric Energy Storage System (BESS) and additional equipment will improve the reliability of Moldova's electricity grids and contribute to the efficient management of energy reserves and demand fluctuations, the integration of renewable energy and scale-up of capacities that the energy needs of consumers are evolving.

The USA has offered our country, since 1992, support exceeding 2.5 billion dollars. Since the outbreak of Russia's war against Ukraine, the United States has granted the Republic of Moldova financial assistance worth 774 million dollars, of which 300 million are intended to overcome the energy crisis and strengthen energy security.

From these funds , $80 million was used to offset natural gas and electricity bills for low-income citizens, and $135 million is allocated to increase domestic power generation and the construction of a 400kV high-voltage line, through the Strășeni (Republic of Moldova) and Gutinaș (Romania) power stations, which will connect Moldova to Romania's electrical grid, thus facilitating integration into the European energy grid.

We note that this is the second visit of the head of American diplomacy to Chisinau, after the one in March 2022.