A month ago, the US Embassy in Chisinau and the Moldovan energy company Moldelectrica, the beneficiary of the project, announced the construction of a power line linking Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Both sides mentioned that the project is called the ‘Trump Freedom Line’ and is ‘supported by US government investment of $130 million’, according to hotnews.ro.
Simply the Liberty Line – without Trump
In Romania, the project is being developed by Transelectrica.
In response to an enquiry from HotNews, Transelectrica refutes the Moldovan authorities’ claims and states that no reference to US President Donald Trump appears in the documents to which the company has access.
“In the official working documents for the project being implemented by CNTEE Transelectrica SA, the name ‘LEA 400 kV Gutinaș (Romania) – Strășeni (Moldova)’ is used within Romanian territory,” the company clarifies in its response.
Furthermore, in the feasibility study prepared by the consultancy firm Black & Veatch Corporation for the US Department of State (EUR/ACE Office), the project is referred to as the ‘Liberty Line’, Transelectrica reports.
“In the official project documents to which Transelectrica has access, no link has yet been identified between the project’s name and that of US President Donald Trump,” the company adds.
Transelectrica also states that it “has not participated in any official discussions with representatives of the US authorities, officials of the Republic of Moldova or representatives of Moldelectrica, to whom an official request to change the project’s name was sent”.
Who is funding the project?
On the Romanian side, according to Transelectrica’s estimates, the cost of works on the 400 kV Gutinaș–Strășeni power line amounts to €151.821 million excluding VAT. In its response to HotNews, the company clarifies that these works will be funded from Transelectrica’s own resources.
As regards the funding announced by the United States, Transelectrica clarifies that, at present, no US funds have been allocated for works on Romanian territory, as there is no funding agreement between the US government and the Romanian company.
This clarification was made in the context of a statement by the Chisinau authorities that Moldelectrica had announced funding from the US government, whilst the Moldovan Ministry of Energy reported that the estimated cost of the project was approximately $130 million.
This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.
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