After years of constant preoccupation with energy security, the Republic of Moldova is accelerating the profound transformation of the national energy system with a clear vision for 2030 and beyond. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Energy, the authorities in Chisinau are setting ambitious targets for renewable energy, energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a complex and challenging regional context. In this interview, Energy Minister Dorin Junghiețu talks about the concrete measures set out in the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan, key interconnection projects with Romania, incentives for investors and steps taken to modernise legislation in the field. Beyond the declarations, the Republic of Moldova is sending a strong signal: it is ready to become a reliable partner in the region’s energy transition and an attractive destination for sustainable investment.
What are Moldova’s main targets for increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix by 2030 and what concrete measures are planned in the immediate future to achieve them?
The National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan, which the Ministry of Energy has been working on with development partners for more than two years, was recently approved. The document sets out the legally binding targets for renewable energy, energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and the outlook for 2050.
Thus, by 2030, the Republic of Moldova is committed to achieve the national target of 30% share of renewable energy in final electricity consumption and 27% RES in total final energy consumption, to keep primary energy consumption below 3,000 ktoe and final energy consumption below 2,800 ktoe, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the right bank of the Dniester by 68.5% compared to 1990, and in another scenario by 88%.
The plan foresees concrete measures on each of the five dimensions of the PNIEC, ranging from promoting the installation of 220 MW of photovoltaics and 510 MW of wind power, integrating biomass thermal power plants into the centralised heating system, to promoting energy communities, transposing EU directives on the carbon border adjustment mechanism and trading green certificates.
What are the main challenges in integrating renewables into the national energy system and what solutions are being considered to overcome them?
At the moment, the main challenge is the lack of internal balancing capacity, which has required the allocation of quotas for the installation of renewable power plants. We are working on building new capacity with technologies that will allow balancing of the system, including internal combustion engines, but also energy storage systems.
We also face a grid access problem, with only 10% of currently valid permits actually connected to the grid. This limits the possibility for investors with real intentions to develop renewable power plants.
We have therefore proceeded to make it compulsory for system operators to grant access to the grid for renewable generators benefiting from the “fixed price” support scheme for a period of 6 years. This involves placing the request from large eligible producers for connection authorisation at the top of the waiting list, and in the event of a lack of requested capacity, alternative solutions will be proposed for areas where there is available capacity on the electricity grids.
Similarly, the launch of markets organised by the OPCOM subsidiary will address some of the market challenges through the development of the balancing market and system services.
What support mechanisms or incentives are available for investors in renewable energy and energy storage projects in the Republic of Moldova?
In Moldova, three support mechanisms are in place for green energy producers, guaranteeing the purchase of surplus energy delivered to the grid and helping them to recoup their investments:
- net metering, which replaced net metering from 1 January 2024 – valid for small producers with installations for own consumption;
- fixed tariff for 15 years – for parks and plants up to 1 MW PV or 4 MW wind;
- fixed price – also valid for 15 years – for parks and power plants above 1 MW PV or 4 MW wind – capacity allocated through auctions.
It is worth mentioning that out of the 580 MW installed at the end of last year, 267 MW commercialise the energy produced on the free market (116.8 MW – photovoltaic parks and 133.6 MW – wind), 133.7 MW are eligible producers, generating under the fixed tariff support mechanism (131.8 MW photovoltaic and 1.84 MW wind), and 33.4 MW were installed under the 2007 Renewable Energy Act. At the same time, households, businesses and public authorities have installed under the net metering mechanism 115 MW and during 2024, under the net billing mechanism – 30.3 MW of PV panels.
Construction works are being carried out at maximum speed on the 400 kV Vulcanesti – Chisinau power line, announces State Secretary Constantn Borosan.
What progress has been made in the implementation of energy interconnection projects with Romania, such as the 400 kV Balti-Suceava overhead power line, and how will they contribute to the country’s energy security?
The project involves the construction of a 400 kV cross-border overhead power line between Suceava (Romania) and Balti (Republic of Moldova), with a total length of approximately 142 km, of which 58 km will be on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. The project also includes the modernisation of the 330 kV Balti substation and the construction of a new 400 kV Balti substation. In addition, some approx. 200 electric substations and 10 110 kV power transformers are to be modernised and upgraded.
In terms of progress, at the moment the tender documents, the concept design for the construction of the line, the modernisation of the 330 kV Balti power station and the construction of a new 400 kV Balti power station are in the tender documents preparation stage, the feasibility study has been completed, and the approval stages are following.
We are making progress on the legal side, as the Parliament recently ratified a new component of the financing of this project, the €15.4 million grant from the European Union, granted through the EBRD, part of the total financing, on the Moldovan segment, of €77 million. We also want to speed up the procedures and the financing on the Romanian side for this line.
We have submitted to the Government the necessary materials for declaring the line construction works of public utility, which will allow the authorities to prioritise the implementation of the project, simplify administrative procedures and secure the necessary resources for completion. This implies that the works will benefit from a special regime with accelerated procedures for obtaining the necessary authorisations and permits. Also, in cases where the power line route affects private land, this can be legally expropriated in the public interest, with compensation for the owners.
The Balti-Suceava line, to be finalised by 2027, will contribute to increasing energy security by increasing interconnection with Romania, integrating additional renewable energy capacity and expanding the EU electricity market.
At what stage is the development of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in the Republic of Moldova and what are the expectations regarding its impact on the stability of the electricity grid?
We are planning to install an energy storage system with a capacity of 75 MW and internal combustion engines (ICE) with a capacity of 22 MW at the CET Nord in Balti. The energy storage system will help to optimise energy management and help the grid operator, ÎS Moldelectrica, to maintain grid flexibility and stability in the face of fluctuations in electricity demand, but will also help facilitate electricity trade with Romania, Ukraine and the European market, and support the integration of locally produced renewable energy.
Unfortunately, this project, along with the Straseni-Gutinaș LEA and other projects that were realised with USAID support, is currently no longer funded. But they have not been cancelled because they are of strategic importance for the sector and contribute to ensuring the country’s energy security and our integration into the European Union market. We are currently in discussions with development partners to identify alternative financing and to continue with important projects to develop Moldova’s energy security.
What specific opportunities do you identify for Romanian companies interested in investing in renewable energy projects in the Republic of Moldova and what are the areas with the greatest potential for co-operation?
We are currently running a tender for the installation of 165 MW of wind and photovoltaic generating capacity, and by the end of the year we will have an approved timetable for the next tender.
At the same time, it should be noted that the majority of investments in renewables in the Republic of Moldova are made on the free market, without relying on state support mechanisms. This demonstrates the attractiveness of renewable investments in the Republic of Moldova. I invite Romanian entrepreneurs to examine all these opportunities.
We have also prepared and launched an extensive programme to renovate the housing stock in the Republic of Moldova through the Residential Energy Efficiency Fund (FEERM). It will invest, over the next two years, in the renovation of some 507,000 square metres of housing, of which about 75% will be residential buildings and 25% individual houses. These works will lead to energy savings of up to 40%. Among the works to be carried out are thermal insulation of the facade, roof/ceiling/technical floor, basement, replacement of old carpentry, replacement of the traditional vertical heating distribution system with a more modern and efficient horizontal one, with the installation of individual meters for each apartment.
In addition, there are plans to launch a programme to install individual heating points and to change the heat distribution systems in multi-storey blocks to horizontal ones. The programme is worth over €300 million.
We plan to build new CETs to replace Termoelectrica’s generation sources. So there are plenty of opportunities and we are counting on the interest of the Romanian business environment to participate in all these processes.
How does the Ministry of Energy intend to improve the legislative and regulatory framework to facilitate foreign investment in the renewable energy and energy storage sector?
We’ve already done a lot and we have great results. Quotas for various renewable energy sources have been increased, photovoltaic plants have been allowed to be built on agricultural land, and recently also wind, biogas and electricity storage plants.
As a result of these actions, the installed renewable power plants in the Republic of Moldova reached a total capacity of about 580 MW by the end of December 2024. This is a three-fold increase compared to 2022 and an 8-fold increase compared to 2020. Last year, renewable energy accounted for 16.72% of Moldova’s annual consumption, excluding the eastern districts.
New actions include simplifying the bureaucratic procedures for obtaining connection permits for producers, including tidying up this segment by introducing a financial guarantee for permits and freeing up grid capacity for bona fide investors.
We are working with the designated operator of the electricity market, OPEM, a subsidiary of OPCOM, to launch organised short-term markets, the Day-ahead Market (PZU) and the Intra-Day-Market (PPZ), which will allow hourly trading of electricity, including renewables.
In addition, we are working on the concept of energy communities, which will enable prosumers to benefit from more renewable energy, digitisation of the energy sector, and facilitating research and innovation. The Republic of Moldova thus became the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to introduce a sandbox regulatory framework to stimulate innovation in the sector. The mechanism became operational after the Government approved on 12 February 2025 the regulations on the operationalisation of innovative test spaces in the energy sector.
The Energy Sandbox Mechanism encourages innovation in the energy sector by creating a controlled and flexible environment for the testing and development of new technologies, thereby facilitating the transition to renewable energy for a sustainable future.
Innovative companies willing to test advanced solutions in the energy sector can apply on the dedicated web platform www.sandbox.energie.gov.md. The areas that have a high potential for testing in the Republic of Moldova and for which applicants are encouraged to apply for sandbox approval are: collective self-consumption and energy communities, electro-mobility, grid flexibility and balancing services, integration of renewable energy sources, biogas and biomethane production, smart grids or advanced energy saving technologies for buildings.
