Moldova’s Ministry of Energy has prepared an energy strategy for the period up to 2050, which envisages a twofold reduction in electricity imports and a multiple increase in local generation, according to the country’s Minister of Energy, Dorin Jungiatu.
“We are striving to ensure that by 2050, more than 80% of electricity is produced locally from renewable sources (currently about 30%). The strategy envisages new connections with Romania and the European Union, an exchange capacity of 2,000 MW, and the availability of gas and electricity reserves,” he said at the presentation of the strategy. He is quoted by the state agency Moldpres.
According to Jungi, the modernization of the heating systems in Chisinau and Balti will be a priority. The authorities also propose to support the most vulnerable citizens with compensation, develop infrastructure for electric vehicles, launch electrified trains, and install 100,000 “smart” meters in households across the country by 2027.
According to mold-street.com, the cost of the measures planned in the strategy exceeds €41 billion, or more than €1.5 billion per year for the period of its implementation. The bulk of the investment—€17.5 billion—will be needed to transition from hydrocarbons to renewable and alternative energy sources, as well as to expand and modernize the electricity transmission system. More than €9 billion is planned to be allocated to the reconstruction and renovation of buildings and other energy efficiency measures. Another €8.5 billion is earmarked for increasing the capacity of electricity sources.
Overall, the strategy envisages reducing the share of energy imports in the energy balance from 77% to 40% in 2050 by reducing hydrocarbon consumption and completely phasing out coal by 2030.
It is planned that by 2050, Moldova’s own generation capacity will exceed 5,000 MW, doubling the current energy sources (including the Moldovan GRES in Transnistria). There are also plans to increase the capacity of wind farms 12-fold, to 2,600 MW.
At the same time, the authors of the strategy do not rule out the construction of a small modular reactor with a capacity of 300 MW in Moldova by 2050.
