Moldova to tender 246 MW of colocated battery storage

Moldova is planning a new tender for the construction of large renewable energy parks colocated with battery energy storage for autumn this year. The timeline for the tender was presented by Carolina Novac, state secretary of the Ministry of Energy, during a business forum held Monday in Chișinău.

To estimate the target capacity for the procurement exercise, the Ministry will conduct energy system analyses and modeling. According to preliminary estimates, a total of 246 MW of battery energy storage will be required. Of this, 72 MW will be needed for automatic frequency restoration reserve (aFRR), and 174 MW for manual frequency restoration reserve (mFRR).

According to transmission system operator Moldelectrica, around 80 MW can be covered by balancing services provided by local generation units, while another 94 MW will need to come from newly built balancing groups.

“The integration of battery energy storage systems (BESS) into the power system will reduce import dependency, prevent economic losses and negative pricing, increase grid flexibility and dispatchability, and facilitate greater integration of renewable energy into the market,” said Novac.

According to the presented timeline, the tender will be launched in October 2025, with the dealine for the submission of bids expected by March 2026.

 On March 31, the submission period ended for the first tender for the construction of large wind and photovoltaic parks, with a total capacity of 165 MW. The winners are expected to be announced by autumn, with estimated investments reaching up to €200 million.

 In January, the country launched a tender for 75 MW of battery storage, describing it as a significant step toward strengthening its energy security.

By the end of February 2025, Moldova’s renewable energy capacity reached around 646 MW. This marks a threefold increase compared to 2022 and an eightfold increase compared to 2020.

The nation launched its first renewables auctions in August 2024 seeking to back the construction of up to 165 MW of solar and wind projects. The deadline for submissions was March 31, 2025.

Earlier in April, the Energy Ministry said that the procurement exercise had been significantly oversubscribed, attracting a total of 42 bids that aim to deploy more than 444.11 MW of new capacity. The winning bidders are expected to be announced this autumn.