Daniel PENCEA (Ministry of Energy), at FERM 2025: “Romania and the Republic of Moldova must build their energy independence together”
100 economic opportunities for the development of the Moldova Region on the A7 Highway route
REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM MOLDOVA 2025
19th Edition – Vatra Dornei, July 9–13, 2025
Thematic Panel:
Energy and the Transition to a Sustainable Energy System
Speaker:
Daniel Pencea – General Director of Budget Finance, Ministry of Energy
Intervention Topic:
“Strengthening Energy Independence through the Romania–Moldova Strategic Partnership and Leveraging European Funds for Modernization and Energy Efficiency”
Present at the Regional Economic Forum Moldova (FERM 2025), held between July 9–13 in Vatra Dornei, Daniel Pencea, General Director of Budget Finance within the Ministry of Energy, took part in the opening of Panel 5 – Energy, where he delivered a speech focused on bilateral cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Moldova in the energy sector, as well as on the European instruments available to reduce dependence on resources from the East.
Personal and Professional Ties with the Republic of Moldova
At the beginning of his speech, Daniel Pencea recalled his direct connections with the Republic of Moldova, both during his doctoral studies and throughout his professional activity.
“I completed a PhD in the Republic of Moldova, I know very well the Ungheni, Chișinău, Bălți areas. For a certain period, I was director at LUKOIL Romania for five years and had frequent visits across the Prut. For me, our Moldovan friends are not strangers.”
Investments Managed by the Ministry of Energy
The official presented the main support instruments under the ministry’s coordination:
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Component 6 Energy from PNRR, which includes five types of investments, addressed to local authorities, SMEs, and other entities.
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The Modernization Fund, with eight programs dedicated to energy efficiency, renewable resources, and biomass.
“All these measures are available and constantly updated on the Ministry of Energy’s website, both for Romanians and for our friends across the Prut. Their goal is to create a climate that will lead to independence from gas coming from the eastern region.”
Romania – Republic of Moldova Strategic Partnership
The bilateral relationship in the field of energy remains a priority, explained the representative of the Ministry of Energy.
“It is no secret that we have a special partnership with the Republic of Moldova. We are trying to help our friends both in terms of electricity and gas, in order to reduce or even eliminate dependence on Russian resources.”
Pencea recalled that Romgaz has already taken steps to supply gas across the Prut, with a subsidiary of the company already established in the Republic of Moldova.
“We are trying to find all the measures to support consumption at the lowest possible price.”
Extending Measures to Public Institutions and Hospitals
An important part of his intervention focused on the need to extend support schemes to the public sector and healthcare.
“We are working on a measure that will cover public institutions, including state hospitals. We hope to implement it as soon as possible. We have already sent a request to the Ministry of Health to carry out rapid studies, so that we can prepare the applicant’s guide and the aid scheme.”
Lessons of the Energy Crisis and Regional Direction
Speaking about the geopolitical context and the crisis triggered in February 2022, Pencea emphasized that each EU member state is seeking solutions to guarantee its energy independence. Romania, he said, holds a privileged position in the region:
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it covers over 90% of its energy and gas consumption;
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it will achieve total independence in natural gas once the Neptun Deep project in the Black Sea is exploited at full capacity;
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it is developing energy storage capacities to ensure a constant flow during peak consumption periods.
“Electricity is not like water, to put it in a bucket and consume it the next day. We need high-performance storage systems and we are working on them at full speed.”
Conclusion
Daniel Pencea’s intervention at FERM 2025 brought to the forefront not only the current situation of the energy sector in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, but also the strategic directions that can ensure long-term independence. He stressed that solutions must be integrated, encompassing both European investments from PNRR and the Modernization Fund, as well as bilateral Romanian-Moldovan projects.
At a time when energy security has become one of Europe’s major challenges, Romania and the Republic of Moldova have the opportunity to turn their neighborhood into a strategic advantage. Support through gas supply, the development of cross-border infrastructure, and the extension of energy efficiency measures for institutions and communities represent concrete steps towards a more stable and predictable future.
The message conveyed by the Ministry of Energy’s representative was one of solidarity and shared responsibility: energy independence cannot be built in isolation, but through partnerships, through the intelligent use of resources, and through sustainable investments. In this equation, Romania has a key role, and the Republic of Moldova can become a strategic partner in strengthening regional energy security.
