Hot water supplies to households in Transnistria halted

Expiry of gas transit agreement affects water and heating in breakaway Moldovan region

14 Jan 2025 by The Water Diplomat

On January 1, the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria cut off heating and hot water supplies to households, following the expiry of the transit agreement for Russian gas through Ukraine to central and eastern Europe on that day. An immediate effect is felt from the halting of some 2 billion m³ of gas a year to Transnistria, providing gas and hot water supplies for the 450.000 people who live in the area. With a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius in the week of January 1, residents are relying on electric heaters to keep warm. The government of Moldova has stated that it will support residents of Transdniestria and is "looking for alternative solutions to provide them with heat and energy".

Hot water plays a major role in apartment heating and hot water supplies in cities in the former Soviet Union and the former Eastern Bloc. For instance, until recently, in the capital of Moldova, Chisinau, a municipally owned company operated a piped network that supplied some 62% of the residents of the city with heating. These centralised heating systems hold great potential in the context of the transition to renewable forms of energy, as the outdated and inefficient gas-fired systems can be replaced by renewable energy sources. 

However, as the example of Chisinau shows, the municipal company faced difficulties in recovering costs, undermining system maintenance and/or rehabilitation. The World Bank reports that the poor quality of district heating services – such as the inability of consumers to regulate their heat consumption and indoor temperatures led to increased disconnections from the system by more affluent residents, leaving those who could not afford to install individual boilers within the district heating system. Studies have shown that the remaining consumers are primarily low income and vulnerable consumers with no other heating options, and failure of district heating would leave some 40% of the population without alternatives in a context in which heating is important contributor to health and well-being. In the case of Chisinau, the World Bank asserts that the rehabilitation of district heating systems is the most economical and environmentally sustainable means of meeting public heating needs. 

Eastern European countries have reportedly been strongly affected by the weaponisation of energy supplies, and among them, Moldova has been amongst the most vulnerable. The country depends on external energy supplies for more than 75% of its needs, and sharp increases in gas prices have led to an increase in energy poverty: some 35% of the population are classified as energy vulnerable and have been faced with gas price increases of 220% in 2021. As such, reducing the reliance on imported fossil fuels is an important priority. Moldova’s energy security challenges include the the improvement of the governance of state-owned energy companies, alternative deliveries of energy and a closer alignment with the EU energy and climate objectives. 

The separatist, Russia backed region of Transnistria or Trans-Dniester  is a narrow strip of land between the Dniester River and the Ukrainian border. It broke away from Moldova in 1990, as the Soviet Union collapsed. Internationally, Transnistria is considered part of Moldova. 

For decades, Russia has delivered gas to Europe through neighbouring Ukraine. However, since the seizing of Crimea in 2014, the contract between the two warring countries has been under augmenting pressure and has now completely collapsed. The flow of Russian gas through Ukraine  stopped when Kyiv refused to extend the transit agreement amid the 34-month-old war. 

In Europe, heat networks or heat pumps have proven to be a sustainable alternative to gas heating. Heat pumps can be a good energy alternative to avoid geo-political circumstances in regions of conflict and moreover contribute to SDG’s 7 and 13.