Chisinau heat & power plants cannot raise production levels owing to old equipment

The Chisinau combined heat & power plants, CET-1 and CET-2, have land and technical capacities to increase electric power production up to 75% of the volume of power consumed in Moldova, governmental officials consider. Presently, the power made in Moldova covers only 30-35% of the necessities. According to Tudor Moiseev, the director of CET-1, a serious problem is the worn-out equipment that was installed more than 50 years ago, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to Tudor Moiseev, foreign companies offered to invest in the modernization of the station and in raising its production capacities. The last offer came from a Moldovan-American company. It offered to rent out the land and build a generation station of 120 megawatts that would use the infrastructure of CET- 1. The investments are assessed at 1.2 million euros per megawatt of power. The central authorities repeatedly said that the proposals will be examined during a public contest for selecting the strategic investor. According to the information provided by First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Dodon, the Chisinau heat supplier, Termocom SA, owes 1.5 billion lei to CET-1 and CET-2. The official said that the attraction of investments into the heat & power plants and the rise in domestic power production will considerably improve the country’s energy security. The investments can be attracted by selling major shareholdings to investors, establishing public-private partnerships, conceding certain sectors etc. All these methods are stipulated in the new law on the denationalization and administration of state property. Specialists say that 350-400 million euros in investment is needed to renovate and modernize the two heat & power plants in Chisinau.