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Moldova's electricity market will be integrated into the European one. Who stands to gain?


https://www.ipn.md/index.php/en/moldovas-electricity-market-will-be-integrated-into-the-european-7966_1109330.html

Moldova's electricity market is set to integrate with the European energy market by the end of 2025. Speaking to IPN, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Energy, Constantin Borosan, highlighted that this development will bring significant benefits for both suppliers and consumers.

By the end of next year, the energy markets of all countries associated with the EU are expected to be coupled with the single European energy market. "This means that from Portugal to Moldova, Ukraine, and from Italy to Denmark, there will be one unified electricity market, operating with the same trading schedule and rules. In theory, this allows a producer or supplier from Moldova to sell electricity in any of these countries. The capacity for transactions will depend on the cross-border transmission capacity of the power lines connecting these nations", explained the Secretary of State.

Borosan stated that the Ministry of Energy aims to enable electricity market transactions by the end of next year. "These would involve short-term transactions, such as buying or selling energy today for tomorrow, or even on the same day. For instance, this is how it works in Romania on the OPCOM platform, where energy is traded hourly", he said.

The Secretary of State also identified the main beneficiaries of this process. "Firstly, businesses - those who sell and buy energy - stand to benefit from increased competition, the ability to sell energy anywhere in a competitive market with high purchasing power. For large consumers or suppliers, this means access to electricity at advantageous prices. Citizens, too, will benefit from competition, which typically leads to more favorable electricity prices.

Perhaps the most significant advantage is that by achieving this integration, Moldova will be exempted from the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which applies to goods imported into the European Union. This exemption will remain in place until 2030, providing a substantial benefit for Moldovan economic agents", Borosan explained.

In 2023, 44% of Moldova's final electricity consumers were households, while 56% were non-residential consumers.