August 13, 2025, Chișinău – The Ministry of Energy has published for public consultation the draft Government decision on approving capacity limits, maximum quotas, and capacity categories in the field of electricity from renewable sources, valid until December 31, 2030.

The draft sets maximum quotas by category of power plants that can benefit from the three support mechanisms – net billing, fixed tariff, and fixed price (auctions) – applied in the Republic of Moldova. Thus, the total capacity of renewable power plants eligible for support will be 265 MW, of which 95 MW under the fixed tariff scheme, 170 MW under the fixed price scheme (with the condition of installing 44 MWh of storage batteries), while the quota for net billing will be removed.

The previous quotas for the net billing mechanism were set at 100 MW and distributed by type of prosumer – households, public institutions, businesses – but connection permits have already been issued for about 125 MW. Under the proposed amendments, there will no longer be separate quotas allocated for different types of prosumers, in order to allow for a flexible and efficient application of the net billing mechanism, in line with the principles of market liberalization and the promotion of decentralized electricity generation from renewable sources.

In the short and medium term, investors will benefit from a more flexible framework that will allow for the faster implementation of renewable energy projects, with a direct impact on reducing energy consumption costs. It is estimated that each 1 MW of installed photovoltaic capacity generates approximately 1,200,000 kWh annually, which, at an average tariff of about 4 lei/kWh, translates into annual savings of around 4.5 million lei per MW installed. The 4 MW already installed contribute to annual savings of about 18 million lei, and after commissioning the planned 17 MW, total budget savings could exceed 94 million lei annually.

The draft does not merely set quantitative quotas, but also explicitly includes the associated support mechanisms, which are essential for attracting investments. The quotas allocated for the fixed tariff and fixed price schemes are accompanied by the contractual guarantee of purchasing the energy produced by the Central Electricity Supplier for a period of 15 years, thus providing investors with a stable and predictable framework for recovering their investments under competitive and transparent conditions.

Thus, the project sets a quota of 95 MW for the fixed tariff support scheme, including 55 MW for cogeneration power plants using direct combustion and 40 MW for biogas power plants.

For the fixed price support scheme, a quota of 170 MW is allocated for wind power plants, on the condition that energy storage batteries of at least 22 MW / 44 MWh are installed. These capacities will be auctioned during the second large-scale producers’ tender in autumn 2025.

In the Republic of Moldova, three support mechanisms are applied for green energy producers, guaranteeing the purchase of surplus energy fed into the grid and thus helping them recover their investments:

• Net billing, which replaced net metering on January 1, 2024 – applicable for small producers with installations for their own consumption;

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

• Fixed price for 15 years – for solar parks and plants over 1 MW photovoltaic or 4 MW wind, with capacities awarded through auction.