The Ministry of Energy has developed an action plan to prevent crisis situations on the electricity market
The Ministry said in a statement that the plan was developed in accordance with the rules and with the support of the European Union. The basis for the preparation of the plan was both national and regional risk assessments related to the security of electricity supply. The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) has identified 31 regional scenarios of crisis on the electricity market, of which 26 are relevant for Moldova. Additionally, 1 specific national crisis scenario was identified for Moldova - overloading of low-voltage power grids in cities due to shortages or interruptions in natural gas supply in winter, which leads to the use of electric heaters. The plan also describes the risks, which are divided into several categories: fuel shortages, disruption of the electricity market, malicious attacks, extreme weather conditions, technical failures, natural disasters, human error and others. The document establishes the roles and responsibilities of all energy sector actors, including power companies, consumers and transmission system operators, to mitigate risks and ensure preparedness to prevent and manage crises in the electricity market. The Emergency Situations Commission, upon a signal from the transmission system operator or the Ministry of Energy, shall, within 12 hours, verify the risks and determine the existence of an emergency. The Commission subsequently coordinates actions in the energy sector, and its decisions are binding, prioritizing the internal plans of energy companies and regulations in this area. In 2022, the total electricity consumption in Moldova amounted to about 4,513 million kWh. Peak winter load exceeds 1,000 MW, while summer load varies from 330 to 700 MW on the right bank of the Nistru/Dniester River. In 2022, the peak winter load on the right bank of the Nistru/Dniester River was 750 MW and the summer load was 670 MW. There are 1 million 284,800 end consumers connected to the distribution networks, of which 95.45% are residential consumers, which accounted for about 44% of the total electricity supplied in 2022. The new crisis preparedness plan is in line with the requirements of EU Regulation 2019/941 on risk preparedness in the electricity sector and is part of the Electricity Integration Package, which envisages connecting the national markets of the energy community member states with the pan-European energy market by the end of 2025. // 28.08.2024 – InfoMarket
