By Alexander Tanas
CHISINAU, March 24 (Reuters) – Moldova’s parliament approved the introduction of a 60-day energy state of emergency after Russian attacks in neighbouring Ukraine knocked out of service a power line providing most of the country’s energy.
Deputies approved the measure, introduced by Moldova’s pro-European government, with 72 votes in favour in the 101-member chamber.
The opposition Socialists and Communists refused to support the measure, aimed at enabling authorities to work more efficiently to tackle problems and keep services running.
The Isaccea-Vulcanesti line carries power from Romania to Moldova, passing through 40 km (25 miles) of Ukrainian territory. It provides up to 70% of the power needed in the country lying between Ukraine and Romania.
“The consequences of the war in Ukraine can no longer be ignored. These attacks directly affect us, and the risks to the power system are real,” Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu told the chamber in urging members to endorse the proposal. “We have withstood this before, and we will withstand it now.”
With the line down, he said, Moldova faced power shortages of up to 400 megawatts at peak hours. Ukrainian officials, he said, hoped to restore the line within five to seven days.
“You will understand that power cuts are quite likely,” Munteanu said. “And further attacks cannot be ruled out.”
Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu described the Russian strike on the power line as a war crime, “with the aim of leaving thousands of people in the dark. It is a direct attack on us.”
President Maia Sandu said earlier alternative routes for providing power were in place, but the situation remained serious.
Sandu has repeatedly denounced Russia’s four-year-old war against Ukraine, which has buffeted Moldova, with missiles frequently landing on its territory. Moscow says her administration is fomenting hostility toward Russians.
Last week, Sandu said Moldova held Russia responsible for an attack on a hydroelectric plant in southern Ukraine that triggered mass contamination of the Dniester River and disrupted water supplies.
(Reporting by Alexander Tanas, Writing by Anna Pruchnicka and Ron Popeski; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Rod Nickel)
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