On the morning of February 24, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova were temporarily disconnected from the Soviet power grid. It was a test. The plan called for isolation and reconnection between February 24 and 26 to evaluate some technical parameters. It was hoped that, if all went well, in 2023 the two countries would permanently separate from the energy system of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS, an organization made up of former Soviet republics) in order to synchronize with the energy systems of Western countries. Europe (ENTSO-E).

We all know what else happened that morning on February 24th. When Russia began bombing Kyiv, and then the rest of the country, Ukraine refused to connect to the Soviet power grid. The Republic of Moldova, infrastructurally connected to Ukraine, also remained disconnected. For some time, the two countries worked in isolation, like an energy island between the European and Russian grids.

A race against time has begun in Europe. From February 24 to March 16, the Europeans conducted test after test to see what the risks would be of a power outage, for example, in the case of explosions in Ukraine – “because there are really some uncontrolled flows of energy spinning from one side to the other,” explains ” Panoramas” Otilia Nutsu, public policy analyst in energy and infrastructure. “And this test was almost on the edge,” the expert adds.

But the risks were considered minimal, so both countries quickly switched to the network of continental Europe.

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