Moldova to have new high-efficiency cogeneration plant by 2030

The capital of Moldova will benefit from a high-performance natural gas cogeneration plant, with an electrical capacity of about 250 MW and a thermal capacity of approximately 180 MW, which is to be built on the territory of CET Source-1 by 2030. The project is part of the second Thermal Energy Supply System Efficiency Improvement Program (PIESACET-2), financed by the World Bank.

According to the Ministry of Energy, the new plant will also include a thermal energy storage installation with a capacity of 1,200 MWh, meant to operate on natural gas, but with the possibility of also using hydrogen in the long run. At the same time, the feasibility study recommends the integration of renewable sources – solar collectors, heat pumps, waste-to-energy conversion and electric boilers – to ensure efficiency and sustainability in the provision of thermal energy and hot water to consumers in the municipality.

International experts who conducted the feasibility study analyzed Termoelectrica's present infrastructure, the financial situation of the enterprise, energy demand for the next 25 years, as well as more technical options. The identified solution aims to enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impact and strengthen the energy security of Moldova.

The modernization process is already initiated: CET Source-2, the oldest plant in Chisinau, built in the 1950s-1960s, is to be decommissioned as soon as two new natural gas cogeneration plants, with a total capacity of at least 55 MW electric and 50 MW thermal, which are also part of the PIESACET-2 programme, are put into operation.

The centralized thermal energy supply system (SACET) from Chisinau ensures the provision of heat and hot water for a large part of the Moldovan capital's residents. The most important production units are CET Source-1 and CET Sorce-2, but their equipment, put into operation during the 1950s–1980s, has surpassed its operational lifetime. The modernization and construction of new plants represent an essential step for the energy security of Moldova, the integration of renewable energy sources and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, in line with the energy sector's decarbonization objectives.