Investments in the Chisinau-Vulcanesti Line Will Be Recouped Through Electricity Tariffs

At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Energy assured that this would not lead to a significant increase in bills for consumers. According to the minister, the project has two main objectives. The first is to eliminate dependence on the switching node in Cuciurgan, which is a vulnerable point in the national energy system. The second is related to the wear and tear of the existing infrastructure, as the current Vulcanesti-MGRES-Chisinau line was built in the 1960s and is approaching the end of its service life, which for lines of this type is about 50 years, according to bani.md. The return on investment in the Chisinau-Vulcanesti line is achieved through the electricity transmission tariff, but the payback period has been deliberately extended to avoid placing an additional burden on consumers. The minister recalled that the recent increase in the transmission tariff approved by ANRE for Moldelectrica did not have a significant impact on the final bills of the population. The Minister of Energy noted that the development of new power lines is aimed at closer integration of the Republic of Moldova with regional energy markets, which will ensure diversified access to energy sources and contribute to the stabilization of regional prices. Currently, Moldova has only one high-voltage interconnector with the European Union at 400 kV, while the connection with Ukraine is at 330 kV. “The most important line for us is Vulcanesti-Chisinau, followed by such strategic projects as Balti-Suceava and Straseni-Gutinas,” the minister said. It should be noted that the construction of the Straseni-Gutinas high-voltage power line will be carried out by American companies. This was announced by Moldova’s ambassador to the United States, Vladislav Kulminski. He recalled that the United States will allocate $130 million for the construction of the line, which will connect Moldova with Romania through the central part of the republic.