Minister of Energy Dorin Jungietu
The meeting was held in Chisinau at the end of August. The experts analyzed Termoelectrica’s infrastructure, its financial situation, electricity demand for the period 2025-2050. Several technical alternatives were studied.
Based on the results of the studies, it was recommended that the priority investment is the construction of a new cogeneration cogeneration plant. Its nominal electric capacity will be 250 MW, heat capacity – 180 Gcal/h. The station is to be built by 2030. It will produce electricity and heat. The project is financed by a World Bank loan under the PIESACET-2 program.
Cogeneration technology is used to generate both electricity and heat simultaneously from a single source. In this case, using natural gas as fuel. According to the plans, the new CHPP will be geographically located on the territory of the existing CHPP-2 in Chisinau (in the Ciocani sector). The construction is scheduled to start in 2026 and to be completed by 2030.
Energy Minister Dorin Jungietu emphasized that the new CHPP construction project will be implemented in line with modern environmental standards, including the use of efficient technologies with reduced environmental impact.
The second Project for improving the efficiency of the Chisinau district heating system (PIESACET-2) is implemented in the period of 2021-2025. The project is implemented by the Moldovan Ministry of Energy through its subordinate organization “United Unit for Implementation and Monitoring of Energy Projects” UCIPE. UCIPE is also tasked with conducting international tenders to find contractors.
Currently, Termoelectrica SA has two operating CHPPs in Chisinau. The first of them, CHPP-1, was built in 1950, it is located almost in the central part of the city. Technical characteristics: nominal electric capacity – 66 MW, heat capacity – 330 Gcal/h. The main fuel is natural gas.
Another, more powerful and not so old operating plant, CHPP-2, is located in the Ciocan sector. It was commissioned in 1976. Nominal electric capacity is 240 MW, heat capacity is 120 Gcal/h. The main fuel is natural gas (fuel oil can be used).
Obviously, the service lives of the power units of both CHPPs have long been exceeded. The process of modernization of the Chisinau district heating system capacities foresees that the oldest CHPP-1 will be decommissioned in the coming years. At CHPP-2, the operating units have been modernized for the last few years.
The foreign experts at the meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Energy did not ignore the fact that the planned thermal power plant in Chisinau will be the third new CHPP. After all, two CHPPs have already been named in the construction plans.
As it is known, within the framework of the same PIESACET-2 project, two new small CHPPs with a total electric capacity of 55 MW and heat capacity of 43 Gcal/h are planned to be built. Theoretically, they will be located there, in the Ciocani sector. These two future CHP plants will also be based on the use of modern, flexible, highly efficient cogeneration technologies.
It should be recalled that the tender for the construction of two small cogeneration plants in Chisinau was initially announced back in December 2022. However, the tender did not take place then. The Ministry of Energy and UCIPE referred to the lack of interest on the part of contractors. In October 2024, a second tender was announced, with four companies applying for participation.
It was expected that the results of the re-tender would be announced by February-March 2025. It is now September. However, the name of the winner has not been announced, respectively, the construction of these two small CHPPs has not started. The reasons for the delay in announcing the results of the re-tender are unknown. Thus, it has already taken three years just to find a contractor…..
