Most of Electricity for Moldova Is Still Produced in the Transnistrian Region

During 2023, Energocom supplied electricity to the right bank of the Dniester, purchasing it both on the domestic market as a central electricity supplier, from the thermal power plant in the Transnistrian region (MoldGRES), and from abroad. According to the Energocom report, the largest share of electricity, about 78% of the total purchases in 2023, came from MoldGRES. The right bank received 3,278,475 MWh. The Chisinau and Balti CHPPs produced a total of about 14% of the energy (605,216 MWh). Thus, the amount supplied by the power plants on the right bank of the Dniester in 2023 increased by more than 15 thousand MWh compared to the previous year. About 2%, or about 81 thousand MWh, was produced by power plants operating on renewable energy sources. The statistics include only producers who are authorized to sell energy to Energocom, but there are producers in the market who have contracts with other suppliers. There is a tendency to increase the production of alternative energy: solar, wind and biogas: an additional 17 thousand MWh will be produced by 2027. The amount of green energy purchased by Energocom in 2023 from more than 100 producers with whom the company has contractual relations will exceed the amount produced by the Balti CHPP during the same period. Imported electricity accounted for about 6% (about 250 thousand MWh). In 2023, Energocom bought electricity from Hidroelectrica, Nuclearelectrica and OPCOM in Romania and from Ukrhydroenergo in Ukraine. In 2023, imports from Ukraine totaled 10,106 MWh and 240,383 MWh from Romania, including from Romanian exchange OPCOM. Energy from the exchange is intended to cover shortages, especially during peak hours, according to the Energocom report. In the same context, TV8 journalist Doina Buruiana made an informative piece about the sources and the scheme of transporting electricity and gas in our country to the final consumer. “The authorities are building the Vulcanesti-Chisinau line in order to buy energy directly from Romania, bypassing the Transnistrian region. If we were to buy energy strictly from Romania now, tariffs would increase by about 10-20%,” Sergiu Tofilat, an energy analyst, said in an interview. If the right bank manages to refuse the electricity produced in the Transnistrian region and to buy it only on the European market, it will not only strengthen its energy sustainability, but will also have a chance to solve the Transnistrian conflict peacefully, the journalist explained. Other episodes of the “EnergoShow” project on TV8 should be broadcasted in the coming days. The weighted average price of energy purchased on the left bank of the Dniester remains at 66$ per MWh in 2024. At the same time, Energocom has concluded contracts with producers from Romania and Ukraine, from whom it will be able to purchase based on the price level and proposed volumes.