A new tender for the construction of large renewable energy parks, accompanied by energy storage battery systems, is set to be launched in the fall of this year. The timeline for the tender was presented by Carolina Novac, State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, during a business forum held Monday in Chișinău under the auspices of the Royal Family of Romania.

In order to determine the capacity of the new parks, energy system analyses and modeling will be conducted. It is estimated that for the balancing of the energy system, storage batteries with a total capacity of 246 MW will be required. Of this, 72 MW will be needed for automatic frequency restoration reserve (aFRR), and 174 MW for manual frequency restoration reserve (mFRR). According to an assessment by the state company "Moldelectrica", around 80 MW can be covered by balancing services provided by local generation units, while another 94 MW will need to come from newly built balancing groups.

To maintain the required network frequency of 50 Hz, Transmission System Operators (TSOs) need access to grid balancing services. When frequency deviations occur, for example due to a power plant outage, the Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR) activates automatically within seconds across the synchronous area to restore the supply-demand balance. FCR, also known as primary control reserve, is the first line of response to frequency disturbances. If the deviation lasts longer than 30 seconds, automatic frequency restoration reserves (aFRR) take over. Following European harmonization of balancing markets, aFRR must be activated within 5 minutes.

“The integration of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) into the power system will reduce import dependency, prevent economic losses and negative pricing, increase grid flexibility and dispatchability, and facilitate greater integration of renewable energy into the market,” stated Carolina Novac.

According to the presented schedule, the tender will be launched in October of this year, with bids to be submitted by March 2026.

Carolina Novac also outlined to Romanian companies participating in the forum additional investment opportunities, the structure of the electricity market, the operational calendar of the OPEM energy exchange (which will manage short-term markets—intraday and day-ahead), sources for meeting consumption demand, and the specifics of Moldova’s energy consumption, which is characterized by peak demand not fully covered by domestic production, necessitating imports.

She also addressed the advantages and risks associated with the expansion of renewable energy sources. These include overproduction during favorable weather conditions, the risk of negative prices, and the need for better grid dispatchability.

On March 31 of this year, the submission period ended for the first tender for the construction of large wind and photovoltaic parks, with a total capacity of 165 MW. The winners are expected to be designated by a Government decision by fall, with estimated investments reaching up to €200 million.

It’s worth noting that over the past four years, Moldova’s renewable energy capacity has increased eightfold, reaching over 646 MW as of February this year.

In the Republic of Moldova, three support mechanisms are in place for green energy producers, guaranteeing the purchase of excess energy delivered to the grid and helping them recover their investments:

• Net billing, which replaced net metering on January 1, 2024, and is applicable to small producers with systems for self-consumption;

• Fixed tariff for 15 years, for solar parks and plants up to 1 MW or wind up to 4 MW;

• Fixed price for 15 years, for solar plants over 1 MW or wind over 4 MW, capacities awarded through public tenders.