Moldova to establish priority authorization regime for strategic energy orojects to accelerate interconnections with EU

The Republic of Moldova will establish a special mechanism for the coordination and authorization of strategic energy infrastructure projects, which will grant priority status to projects developed in partnership with the member states of the European Union. The provisions are included in a draft law examined today by the members of the Parliamentary Committee on Economy, Budget and Finance, which is to be submitted for consideration in the first reading in the Legislature.

The draft law was developed by the Ministry of Energy and provides for the alignment of national legislation with European norms on trans-European energy infrastructures, representing another step in the process of integrating the Republic of Moldova into the European energy market.

The new provisions create clearer and more efficient conditions for the development of modern cross-border energy infrastructure, including electricity interconnection lines, smart grids, and other strategic projects that contribute to increasing the independence and resilience of the national energy system.

According to the draft, the Law on Energy will be supplemented with a separate chapter dedicated to projects of common and mutual interest. As a result, a special legal regime will be established for strategic energy infrastructure, and a coordinated and accelerated authorization procedure for this type of project will be regulated. Thus, a single point of contact will be designated, maximum time limits will be set for the stages of the authorization procedure, and mechanisms for inter-institutional coordination and monitoring will be introduced.

These legislative proposals will reduce the duration of administrative procedures, prevent bottlenecks, and ensure predictability for the investment process. Currently, the authorization of energy projects of common interest takes, on average, approximately three years, depending on their complexity, and the procedure involves multiple institutions.

After adoption, the legislative amendments will enter into force upon the publication in the Official Joutnal.