On the sidelines of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (TTE – Energy) meeting held in Brussels on March 16, Minister of Energy Dorin Junghietu held several bilateral discussions with his counterparts from Greece and Cyprus, as well as with representatives of European institutions, focusing on strengthening energy security and exchanging experiences in managing crisis situations in the Republic of Moldova.

During the meeting with the Greek Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, the parties discussed the implementation of previously agreed actions to strengthen the Vertical Corridor and natural gas supply security, as well as the supply of petroleum products in Southeastern Europe, in the context of the situation in the Middle East. The ministers also addressed opportunities for Greek companies to participate in renewable energy and energy storage projects in Moldova.

In the meeting with the Cypriot Minister of Energy, Commerce, and Industry, Michael Damianos, the discussions focused on the participation of Cypriot companies in the second round of tenders for renewable power plants and 170 MW of storage capacity, as well as on the exchange of best practices in the green energy sector.

Minister Junghietu also met with Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST) of the European Commission, where they discussed Moldova’s progress in energy sector reform and integration into the European energy market. The parties addressed the challenges posed by the complex situation in the Ukrainian energy system, developments in the context of the energy alert in Moldova, the impact of events in the Middle East on the market, and the need for rapid development of renewable sources and measures for flexibility and balancing of the energy system.

In discussions with Patrick Clerens, Secretary General of Energy Storage Europe, the minister presented Moldova’s plans to expand renewable energy capacities up to 1 GW, ongoing BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) projects, and opportunities to integrate European technologies in the development of local renewable energy.

The Minister of Energy also met with senior management representatives of ENGIE Belgium to discuss leveraging Belgian experience in implementing large-scale BESS and other flexibility solutions in Moldova, as well as opportunities arising from the liberalization of the natural gas market.

The meeting with the Secretary of State of the Romanian Ministry of Energy, Cristian-Silviu Bușoi, focused on strengthening regional cooperation, developing interconnections—including 110 kV power lines—and business opportunities in the sector in the context of natural gas market liberalization. Discussions with the Polish Deputy Minister of Energy, Wojciech Wrochna, highlighted Poland’s support in coordinating the response to the 2025 energy crisis in the Transnistrian region and opportunities for collaboration in expanding storage capacities and Polish companies’ participation in large renewable energy tenders.

The Brussels meeting provided a broad platform for dialogue between energy ministers from the European Union, Moldova, and Ukraine, focusing on lessons learned this winter, coordination of regional energy policies, and support for resilience measures in the face of exceptional geopolitical and meteorological challenges.