A legislative initiative to abolish customs duties on imports of wind turbines and energy storage systems (BESS) has been submitted to the Moldovan Parliament.
The report on the draft law providing for this was approved by the members of the Committee on Economy, Budget and Finance.
The legislative initiative belongs to a group of deputies from the Action and Solidarity Party parliamentary faction. The proposal aims to create a legal framework favoring the development and implementation of renewable electricity generation projects, including energy storage systems. These legislative measures are necessary in the context of strengthening the energy security of the Republic of Moldova and harmonizing it with the objectives of sustainable energy transition.
The authors of the initiative propose to reduce the customs duty from 8% to 0% on imports of wind power plants. It should be noted that earlier the fiscal barrier on imports of photovoltaic equipment was also removed. Customs duty will also be removed on imports of batteries designed to store renewable energy. Until now, the applicable tax was 5%.
Another provision of the draft law concerns the deferral of import duties for up to 20 months for equipment intended for renewable energy projects with energy storage. This measure is an instrument of financial support for investors aimed at eliminating the obligation to pay VAT on imports.
If, however, investments have been made during the period of deferral of the payment obligation and the installation has been connected to the grid, the deferred customs obligations will be removed. Payment obligations will not be removed only if the importer received state support, under which the cost of goods was partially or fully compensated.
It is also proposed to replace US dollars with euros as the main currency under renewable energy support programs. This will bring the regulatory framework in line with the new national currency regime and the economic realities of the energy sector.
Once adopted, the legislative amendments will enter into force from the date of publication in the Official Gazette. The import rollover provisions will apply to transactions carried out before July 1, 2028.
