Moldova will announce a new tender for installation of large renewable energy parks with energy storage units in October
This was announced by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy of Moldova, Carolina Novac, during the Moldovan-Romanian Economic Forum, organized in Chisinau under the auspices of the Romanian royal family. She noted that analysis and modeling of the energy system will be carried out to determine the capacity of the new parks. It is assumed that 246 MW of storage batteries will be required to balance the energy system. Of these, 72 MW are needed for the automatic frequency restoration reserve (aFRR) and 174 MW for the manual frequency restoration reserve (mFRR). According to Moldelectrica, about 80 MW can be covered by balancing services provided by local generating facilities, and another 94 MW should be obtained from newly built balancing groups. To ensure the required network frequency of 50 Hz, transmission system operators (TSOs) need network balancing services. When frequency deviations occur, for example after a power plant trip, the frequency limiting reserve (FCR) automatically intervenes within a few seconds across the entire synchronous area to restore the balance between supply and demand. The frequency limiting reserve, also known as the primary control reserve, is the first response to frequency disturbances. If the deviation persists for more than 30 seconds, the automatic frequency restoration reserves (aFRR) replace the primary control reserve. Following the European harmonisation of balancing markets, the automatic reserve should be activated within 5 minutes. "The integration of battery energy storage systems (BESS) into the power system will reduce import dependence, avoid economic losses and prevent negative prices, improve grid flexibility and dispatchability, and facilitate the integration of more renewable energy sources into the energy market," said Carolina Novac. According to the presented calendar, the auction should be launched in October this year, and applications can be submitted until March 2026. At the same time, the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Energy presented other investment opportunities to the Romanian companies participating in the forum, as well as the structure of the electricity market, the schedule for the commissioning of the OPEM power exchange, which will manage the short-term electricity markets - the intraday market and the day-ahead market, the sources of consumption coverage and the specifics of electricity consumption, which is characterized by peaks of consumption that are not covered by local production and require imports. Carolina Novac also spoke about the benefits and risks arising from the expansion of renewable energy sources. These include overproduction during favorable weather periods and the risk of negative prices, as well as the need for network dispatching. On March 31 this year, the acceptance of applications for the first auction for the construction of large wind and photovoltaic parks with a total capacity of 165 MW ended. The winners of the auctions will be determined by the government by autumn of this year, the expected investment volume will be up to 200 million euros. According to the Ministry of Energy, over the past 4 years, the capacity of renewable energy power plants has increased 8 times and in February of this year exceeded 646 MW. // 08.04.2025 – InfoMarket.
