30 MW photovoltaic power plant to be built in Vadul lui Vodă

A photovoltaic power plant with an installed capacity of 30 MW will be built outside the town of Vadul lui Vodă, in the municipality of Chișinău, according to a project approved today by the Government.

The plant is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2026, and the installation of electricity storage systems is planned for next year. Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy Andrei Grițco said at the Government meeting that the investment in the new plant will be fully covered by the economic operator, with no expenditures from the state budget.

“Beyond the technical nature of the decision, we are talking about 30 MW of new local production, private investments, and a concrete step towards a more secure energy system that is less dependent on imports,” said Andrei Grițco.

According to the project’s explanatory note, by increasing the local electricity generation capacity and implementing energy efficiency measures, dependence on imported energy resources can be reduced, given that the Republic of Moldova imports a large share of its energy. This situation makes the country’s economy vulnerable to any disruption in energy supply or to fluctuations in energy resource prices.

The Republic of Moldova has surpassed the threshold of 1 GW (Gigawatt) of installed capacity from renewable energy sources, reaching 1,023.42 MW in the spring of this year. At the same time, statistical data show that over the past five years, installed capacities have increased 13.23 times.

The most widespread technology remains photovoltaics, with an installed capacity of 747.00 MW, accounting for 73% of total RES capacities. It is followed by wind power, which has reached 252.52 MW (25%). Hydropower and biogas capacities amount to 16.75 MW (1%) and 7.16 MW (1%), respectively. The authorities have set ambitious goals in this field, with strategic targets for 2030: at least 27% of energy from renewable sources in gross final energy consumption, and at least 31.2% of electricity from renewable sources in gross final electricity consumption.