On September 17, 2020 the director of the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE), Octavian Calmac, participated at the online meeting of the European Business Association (EBS) Committee on Infrastructure and Energy.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the progress made in implementing the commitments under the Association Agreement between Moldova and the European Union (AA), the evolution of the regulatory framework and other issues related to the energy market. The representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure provided general information about the energy sectors and emphasized the importance of using the state instruments and policies to stimulate and develop the thermal energy sector.
Octavian Calmac outlined the efforts made in 2019 and 2020 in implementing and fulfilling the international commitments, in particular: drafting and approving the Electricity Market Rules, determining and approving the ceiling tariffs for renewables, examining and adjusting the electricity tariffs and prices, approving the Methodologies of calculating and approving the tariffs for electricity distribution service and the regulated price of electricity supply. ANRE is also encouraging competition on the wholesale market by facilitating the connection of Moldovan electricity system with Romanian electricity system. And last but not least, ANRE is working hard on enhancing the dialogue with international institutions, especially with the Energy Community Secretariat.
The participants of the meeting appreciated ANRE’s efforts in making the decision-making process transparent and in-line with the normative framework in force.
Other important subjects discussed during the online meeting was the promotion of electricity produced from renewable sources and the electricity production capacities which get fixed tariffs through support scheme, according to the Law on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources.
Several issues were highlighted during discussions which include: the process of obtaining connection approvals, access to funds that ensure the sustainability of the investment projects, as well as, the necessity to extend the given quotas in the coming years. In this regard, ANRE has committed to create a working group that would include the representatives from government, market operators and business community to find sustainable solutions to existing problems.