Moldova will launch a new tender in October for large renewable energy parks with energy storage, with bids to be submitted by March 2026. The capacity of the new parks will be determined through system analysis and modelling. It is estimated that balancing the power system will require batteries with a total capacity of 246 megawatts (MW): 72 MW of automatic frequency restoration reserve (aFRR) and 174 MW of manual frequency restoration reserve (mFRR).
According to an assessment by the state-owned company Moldelectrica, about 80 MW can be balanced by local generation units, while another 94 MW will come from newly built balancing groups.
“The integration of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) into the energy system will reduce import dependency, prevent economic losses and negative prices, increase grid flexibility and dispatchability and facilitate greater integration of renewable energy into the market,” said Carolina Novac, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Energy.
The first tender for the construction of 165 MW of wind and solar farms closed in March this year, and the winners are expected to be selected by a government decision in the autumn. The estimated investment could reach 200 million euros.
Moldova’s renewable energy capacity has increased eightfold over the last four years, reaching 646 MW in February.
In the country three support mechanisms are in place to guarantee the purchase of excess energy delivered to the grid:
Net billing, which replaced net metering on 1 January 2024 and applies to small producers with a self-consumption system;Fixed tariffs for 15 years for solar parks and power plants up to 1 MW or wind farms up to 4 MW;Fixed price for 15 years for solar farms over 1 MW or wind farms over 4 MW, withcapacities awarded through public tenders.