The government of Moldova says that developers have returned 30 grid connection permits for renewable energy projects, because it has introduced a financial warranty schedule aimed at freeing network capacity for viable investments.
More than 109 MW schedule capacity for renewable energy projects has been returned to transmission and distribution operators in MoldaviaAccording to figures from the Ministry of Energy of the Land.
The returned capacity follows the Introduction to a financial guarantee During the issue of schedule connection permits for renewable energy companies of power plants larger than 200 kW, mandatory by the government in February.
The legislation stipulates that the financial guarantee will only be reimbursed to a developer if the power plant is used within the agreed time frame. If the power plant is not operational on time, the financial guarantee is stored by the network administrator for maintenance work.
When the legislation was introduced, holders of connecting permits whose duration was given the opportunity until the end of June to voluntarily abandon the connecting permit or subject to a reimbursement of 50% to 70% of the financial guarantees if their project was not realized on time.
As a result, 30 grid connection permits were released by the end of last month. Figures shared by the Ministry reveal two permits with a capacity of 64.09 MW were sent back to Moldelectrica, while 16 permits of a total of 36.6 MW were released for Prime Minister Energy Distribution and 12 permits of 8.55 MW were returned to Sa Red Nord.
Midovan Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu said that the introduction of a financial guarantee “has been essential for unlocking network capacity, making the rapid and efficient implementation of green energy projects possible.”
In a separate legislative decision, the Moldavian government has changed laws with regard to prosumers with solar facilities used for self -consumption installed before 1 January 2024.
According to the change, prosumers that have obtained connection permits for their solar installation before December 31, 2023 – before the introduction of a net billing mechanism in Moldova – can now be fully reimbursed for all the electricity they returned into the grid, a maximum of 200 kW. Earlier legislation used a ceiling recovered retroactively to determine the reimbursement.
The Ministry of Energy said that the change influences around 4 MW installed capacity and “restores honesty for investors who have acted in accordance with the law and offer stability to those who actively contribute to the energy transition.”
The first auction of Moldova’s first renewable energy sources, aimed at purchasing 60 MW of solar and 105 MW wind, was announced in 2024. In April of this year, the Ministry of Energy revealed that the auction was excessreceives a total of 42 bids.
Figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) show that Moldova had 344 MW of Cumulative installed solar capacity towards the end of 2024.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to work with us and reuse part of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
