In Moldova, the construction of the 400 kV Balti-Suceava transmission line and the modernization of the 330 kV power plant in Balti are to be declared a project of national importance.
In particular, a special commission set up by the government will carry out a preliminary study of this issue, which will prepare and present the results of its work to the Cabinet of Ministers. The commission is headed by State Secretary of the Energy Ministry Constantin Borosan. It will include representatives of the Agriculture Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development, as well as district chairmen and mayors of localities in whose territorial radius the construction of the Balti-Suceava transmission line and the modernization of the power plant in Balti will be carried out. Preliminary studies for declaring the public utility of the national importance of these works shall be carried out for the implementation of the investment project, which aims at the construction of the 400 kV Balti-Suceava transmission line and the extension of the 330 kV power plant in Balti, within the framework of the project “Moldova - Romania Power Interconnection, II phase”. The construction of the 400 kV Balti-Suceava transmission line was previously included in the Moldova Electricity Sector Roadmap and represents a measure to fulfill one of the objectives of the Moldova Energy Strategy 2030 to strengthen Moldova's role as an electricity transit corridor through the construction of new interconnectors, connection to the ENTSO-E system and consolidation of the internal transmission network. Given the cross-border importance of this important energy infrastructure, the construction of the 400 kV Balti-Suceava transmission line and the extension of the 330 kV power plant in Balti are mentioned in the Memorandum of Agreement between the Governments of Moldova and Romania regarding the implementation of projects necessary to interconnect the natural gas and electricity networks of the two countries. This investment project was also included in the Action Plan approved during the meeting of the High Level Working Group on the Central and South-Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity (CESEC), and the need to implement the project is also mentioned in the “Roadmap for Energy Market Reforms” agreed between the Ministry of Energy, the European Commission and the Energy Community Secretariat within the 5th EU-Moldova High Level Dialogue in the Energy Sector, held in Chisinau on February 2, 2024. The total cost of the project for the construction of the 400 kV transmission line Balti-Suceava is estimated at 37 million euros, while 14.8 million euros for its implementation will be provided in the form of a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, and 7.4 million euros will be provided by the European Union in the form of a grant. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027. // 05.06.2024 - InfoMarket.
