Renewable sources cover over 20 per cent of consumption of electricity in Moldova on 19 January

The electric energy generated by renewable sources on 19 January reached a share of 20.59 per cent, marking a record for the cold season.   

„The share of renewable energy in the energy mixture exceeded 20 per cent on 19 January! This is an absolute record so far! And we are still not in spring, when the production from renewable sources is the biggest! In spring, due to increase in the duration of the day and seasonal winds, the production of solar and photovoltaic energy will grow even more,’’ the state secretary of the Energy Ministry, Constantin Borosan, said.    

The Energy Ministry noted that the 20-per cent record proved the enhanced potential of the green energy and the importance of the investments in this sector.   

„If the production of renewable energy is maintained for the domestic consumption in continuation, we might reach the double of this figure during the summer period, especially as other capacities are to be put into operation,’’ the state secretary of the Energy Ministry, Carolina Novac, said.  

The statistics unveiled by the authorities does not include the production of small stations used for self-consumption, which work based on the mechanisms of net metering and invoicing. In the end of the last year, these small stations, set in private households and companies, had an overall capacity of 145 MW and were connected to the distribution networks. The data on their production is collected monthly, which means that the real production for 19 January is probably larger than the reported one and the full information will be available subsequently.     

According to data by the National Centre for Sustainable Energy, in late 2024, the capacities set of the renewable power stations, which include solar, wind, hydro and biogas energy, reached the figure of almost 580 MW, reaching a thrice as much increase against the 2022 year and an eight-fold one against 2020.    

At the same time, statistics shows that 691,000 MW of electric energy was generated from renewable sources in 2024, which accounts for 16.72 per cent of Moldova’s annual consumption, without the eastern regions. The target was to increase the share of renewable energy up to 30 per cent of the consumption of electric energy.  

Starting from 1 January 2025, the right bank of Dniester has no longer been receiving electric energy from the Kuchurgan power station, after the Russian giant Gazprom ceased the gas deliveries to Moldovagaz. In these conditions, the needed consumption is covered from domestic sources of production and from import.