Moldova: the 400 kV Strășeni–Gutinaș line, about 70 km long, declared of national public interest

The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova on Thursday, 5 November 2026, passed in second reading the bill declaring the construction of the 400 kV Strășeni–Gutinaș overhead power line and the modernisation of the 330 kV Strășeni substation works of public utility of national interest, the parliament's communication department said, as quoted by Moldpres. The line will connect the Strășeni substation with the Gutinaș substation in Romania.

What was decided. The law provides derogations from certain general and special rules to speed up procedures: faster issuance of permits, a special expropriation procedure and accelerated siting authorisations in public road zones. It also regulates timber harvesting and the necessary clearing, and in areas with archaeological heritage works may begin only after archaeological discharge of the land. Compensation for expropriated land will be paid at market price, but not below the normative value.

The figures. The line will be about 70 km long on the territory of the Republic of Moldova and will cross 25 localities in the Strășeni, Călărași, Nisporeni and Hâncești districts. Completion of the works is planned for 2032. In 2025 the United States government announced a commitment to allocate $130 million for the construction of the line; the technical details and cost structure are to be set in the financing agreement.

Context. The bill passed first reading on 22 October with the votes of 75 MPs, according to Ziarul de Gardă. According to parliament, the new line will help stabilise and improve the interconnection of the power systems of South-East Europe and the Black Sea region and will facilitate the integration of Moldova's power grid into the European Union market.

What comes next. The state enterprise "Institute for Land Organisation Design" (IPOT) will start forming the land plots along the entire route, and the works will be carried out on the basis of the feasibility studies. The terms of the US financing will be set when the financing agreement is negotiated and signed.

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