New regulations for renewable energy market

19 February 2025, Chișinău - The government has approved legislative amendments to unlock the renewable energy market by making applicants and holders of connection permits for power plants with a capacity greater than 200 kW accountable.

Entrepreneurs intending to build power plants with a capacity greater than 200 kW will be required to submit a financial guarantee when requesting connection permits to the electrical grid. The amendments to the Electricity Law were approved today during the Cabinet of Ministers meeting.

According to the document, the value of the guarantee will be established by the National Energy Regulatory Agency. If the plant is built and operational within the planned timeline, the guarantee will be returned. Otherwise, individuals will be penalized with a fee ranging from 50% to 70% of the financial guarantee amount. These funds will be used by the system operator to modernize electrical grids across the country.

The application of the new provisions will contribute to freeing up network capacity for genuine investors who have the necessary resources and intend to complete green energy projects.

"The project will unlock the situation with connection permits for renewables. This year we can release a large capacity that was blocked, including for speculative purposes by certain actors in the energy market. We will provide a transition period until June 30, 2025. In this period, those who give up permits obtained with speculative intentions will be exempt from fines," said Prime Minister Dorin Recean.

Additionally, holders of permits representing energy communities or having the status of eligible producer, i.e., holding a permit for constructing a photovoltaic park with a capacity of 1 MW or a wind park up to 4 MW, will be exempted from submitting the financial guarantee.