The anti-COVID restrictions have resulted in a reduction of the total world energy consumption. At the same time, the transfer of the activities to home increased the household consumption of electricity by up to 30%. In the Republic of Moldova, the total electricity consumption in 2020 decreased compared to 2019 by 0.22 %, while household consumption increased by 3.5%. In the first quarter of 2021, household consumption increased by 7.8%, raising the share of household consumption to 45.5 %. Working from home has proven to be convenient for both employees and employers, so the trend is expected to remain after the pandemic crisis. In this context, a series of energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions in residential buildings are expected to be implemented.

The paper presents a detailed analysis of the external stakeholders' perception regarding the quality of the “Electromechanical Systems Engineering” study program at the Technical University of Moldova. Based on a structured questionnaire applied to experts from industry, research, and education, the study highlights relevant aspects concerning curriculum adequacy, teaching methods, and the relevance of the developed competencies. The results reveal a predominantly positive appreciation of the program, while also emphasizing the need for modernization of practical content and educational resources.

The main global concern in the energy sector is the substitution of fossil fuels and the mitigation of climate change – the transition to the carbon neutrality of the economy. For the power sector, the main solution for this transition is to use hydro, wind and solar energy sources, which have a high energy potential, including in the Republic of Moldova. Variable renewable energy sources, wind and solar, due to their intermittent nature have a significant impact on the power system and the quality of electricity. The necessary measures to reduce the impact of the variability of these sources are presented. The most appropriate measure would be to use pumped storage hydropower plants. The water losses from their accumulation lakes were appreciated. That constitutes approx. 1 … 2 m3/MWh which is considerably lower than the losses from the Thermal Power Plants with steam turbines.

Energy can become an instrument of geopolitical coercion when asymmetric dependencies, infrastructure vulnerabilities, and limited resilience allow energy resources, supplies, prices, technologies, or infrastructure to be strategically exploited. This study examines these mechanisms and their implications for European energy security and NATO strategic preparedness, using Romania as an eastern-flank case study. A coercion–vulnerability–resilience framework is developed by integrating geopolitical assessment, energy-dependency analysis, critical-infrastructure vulnerability, scenario analysis, and quantitative measurement constructs. The study operationalizes energy coercion through a six-stage pathway linking dependence creation, signaling, coercive action, domestic transmission effects, and negotiation. The Romanian case indicates that energy security depends not only on domestic resource availability but also on infrastructure protection, diversification, storage, system flexibility, investment implementation, cybersecurity, and regional interconnection. The composite indices presented in the study are synthetic methodological demonstrations rather than empirically estimated national scores, while the empirical analysis relies on referenced statistical, institutional, and macroeconomic evidence. The framework shows how resilience measures can reduce exploitable dependencies and strengthen Romania’s contribution to European energy security and NATO strategic preparedness.