Moldova will benefit from investments of approximately 200 million euros over the next three years, as a result of the first public auction for major renewable energy projects. During the process, new capacities of 165 megawatts for wind and solar energy production will be installed, reports IPN.
According to the authorities, this auction marks an important moment in the transition of the Republic of Moldova towards cleaner and safer energy sources. The Minister of Energy, Dorin Junghietu, stated that the interest of investors and the constant increase in the share of renewable energy show that the chosen direction is correct: “An eightfold increase in the share of renewables not only means security, but also major investments, new jobs and a cleaner environment for citizens.”
For the photovoltaic projects, 33 bids were submitted, of which 24 were validated, and for the wind ones, all the 8 registered bids were accepted. The State Secretary Carolina Novac mentioned that the investment will be one of the largest ever made in Moldova and that all the winners of the solar projects are local investors: “This demonstrates the maturity of our market and the ability to develop large-scale projects with our own resources.”
According to the authorities, the new projects will contribute approximately 7.5% to the annual electricity consumption and will create around 400 jobs. The winners of the auction will sign contracts for 15 years and will guarantee the quality of the equipment used.
The Ministry of Energy is already preparing a new auction for this autumn, focused on wind projects and with a mandatory component of energy storage, to ensure system balance. According to the authorities, these measures aim at gradually bringing the Republic of Moldova closer to the European energy market.