Government approves results of second auction for installation of wind power plants with capacity of 170 MW and battery storage, contributing to increased electricity production in Moldova

The Republic of Moldova will have new electricity generation capacities from renewable sources, which will contribute to reducing dependence on imports and strengthening energy security. The Government has approved the auction results for the development of wind power plants with a total supported capacity of 170 MW, which will also be equipped with battery energy storage systems. These will add to the more than 1,000 MW of existing electricity generation capacities from renewable sources as of the end of August 2026.

The projects will be implemented by four investor consortia selected following an auction. In addition to the wind power plants, they will install storage systems with a combined capacity of 150.57 MWh, which will enable more efficient use of the energy produced and contribute to the flexibility of the power system.

The batteries will be able to store electricity produced when wind conditions are favorable and enable its delivery to the grid during other periods. Thus, renewable energy will be integrated more efficiently into the system, including during periods when production and consumption do not coincide.

“The development of renewable energy sources must be accompanied by investments in solutions that enable the efficient integration and management of energy within the system. Through this auction, we are taking an important step in this direction: investors will develop not only new wind power generation capacities, but will also install storage systems. These will contribute to the flexibility of the power system and to better use of the energy produced in the Republic of Moldova,” said Minister of Energy Dorin Junghietu.

The projects will be developed by the following consortia:

“Lumina Noastră” – four projects with a total supported capacity of 54 MW and storage systems of 30 MWh each;

“Navitas Energy” – one 40.5 MW project with a 10.125 MWh storage system;

“Leafwind Energy” and “Oromaxmontaj” – one 35 MW project with a 10.32 MWh storage system;

“Summa FIBA Enerji” – one project with a supported capacity of 40.5 MW and a 10.125 MWh storage system. The plant’s total installed capacity will be 52 MW, while the energy produced by the non-supported portion will be sold at the market price.

The prices offered by investors range from 1.24 to 1.25 lei/kWh, excluding VAT, while the weighted average price of the winning bids is 1.25 lei/kWh. The projects were selected based on the lowest offered price.

The selected investors will benefit from a support mechanism that provides predictability for the sale of the electricity produced for a period of 15 years from the commissioning of the plants. The support will apply only to the energy produced by eligible capacities, not to energy taken from the grid, stored, and subsequently delivered.

The wind power plants and storage systems will be commissioned within a maximum of 36 months from the publication of the document in the Official Journal. Electricity purchase agreements will be concluded with the selected producers within 10 working days of the decision’s entry into force.

This is the second auction for the construction of renewable power plants. In the first auction, contracts were awarded for 165 MW, including 105 MW for wind power plants and 60 MW for photovoltaic power plants.

These auctions will contribute to increasing the share of renewable energy by 5.8% toward the national target of 30% energy from renewable sources by 2030. Together with the first 165 MW auction, wind power will account for approximately 11.4% of this target.

The new investments are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1.4 million tonnes of CO₂, equivalent to the annual emissions produced by approximately 310,000 passenger cars.

Three support mechanisms for renewable energy are currently applied in the Republic of Moldova: net billing, intended to cover own consumption; a feed-in tariff for 15 years for producers with a capacity of up to 1 MW; and a fixed price with a guarantee for the purchase of the energy produced for 15 years, granted during auctions.