Termoelectrica launches a large-scale project to switch to a horizontal intra-apartment heating system with the installation of individual heating points - Ministry of Energy
This was announced by the Minister of Energy Dorin Junghietu after visiting Termoelectrica, the largest producer of electricity and heat in the country, to check the preparations for the heating season. He noted that Termoelectrica is currently focused on 7 construction sites in different areas of Chisinau, where maintenance and modernization work is being carried out on the networks. These works are part of the company's investment program and will help reduce heat loss and improve the quality of services. The head of the Ministry of Energy emphasized that a centralized heating system, especially with cogeneration, is the most efficient. Moreover, back in 2003, Termoelectrica installed special sensors in the pipelines that monitor heat loss in real time and allow for prompt elimination of accidents. Thus, even with outdated networks, losses in the pipelines were reduced from 3 million cubic meters in 2003 to 600 thousand cubic meters in 2024. According to him, for clarity, out of 100 thousand cubic meters of coolant circulating in the system, hourly losses are only 52 cubic meters, while, for example, in Bucharest they are 2.5 thousand cubic meters per hour. Monitoring and timely intervention allowed consumers to save more than 500 million lei. "We continue to reconstruct heating networks, but we are also launching a large-scale program to replace the vertical with a horizontal intra-apartment heating system with the installation of individual heating points (ITP) and individual metering devices in each apartment. Thus, households will pay exactly as much as they consume and will be able to control the temperature in their homes," Dorin Junghietu emphasized. During discussions with the director and central office of Termoelectrica, he noted that, in accordance with the current legislation, government agencies, including the Ministry of Energy, do not have the right to interfere in the operating activities of energy companies. However, they have enough corporate governance tools to check and control the activities of companies. Thus, the correctness of the purchases made, the quality of management and the working atmosphere at the enterprises are controlled. In addition, the procurement processes are carefully monitored and checked by the competent authorities, including the National Anti-Corruption Center and the Information and Security Service. As reported earlier, the project "Optimization of the Centralized Heating System of Chisinau Municipality" with a total budget of 326.5 million euros will be implemented in the capital of Moldova. For its implementation, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will allocate loans to Moldova in the amount of 143.5 million euros each (44% of the total cost of the project). For the implementation of the aforementioned project, the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P) will allocate a grant of 15 million euros, and the European Union Neighborhood Investment Platform (EU NIP) - a grant of 24.5 million euros. According to the Ministry of Energy, 2,510 individual heating points will be installed within the framework of the project, 1,665 residential buildings will be transferred to a horizontal heat carrier distribution system, and within the framework of 57 pilot projects, buildings will be thermally insulated with the rehabilitation of primary heating networks. At the same time, 2 modern heat pump stations will be built. These actions are expected to result in savings of approximately 4,600 MWh of primary energy over 20 years, a reduction in CO₂ emissions of approximately 816 thousand tons, as well as a significant increase in energy efficiency and reliability of services provided to end consumers. The central element of the project is the implementation of individual heat consumption metering systems. This component will provide consumers with the opportunity to directly monitor and manage their own consumption depending on the specific needs of each home. The measure will contribute to improving thermal comfort, reducing individual costs and stimulating responsible behavior in the use of energy resources. It is expected that over 300,000 homes in Chisinau will directly benefit from this modernization. The installation of individual heating points will reduce costs by approximately 10%, while the implementation of an internal horizontal heat carrier distribution system will allow savings of up to 30%.// 11.08.2025 — InfoMarket.
