Moldova (bbabo.net), - Next week, from February 24 to 26, Moldova and Ukraine will be disconnected from the common energy system with Russia and Belarus for three days. The goal is to test work in an isolated mode, since Kiev and Chisinau declare their intention to connect to European networks within the next few years, logos.press.md reports.
Thus, the interconnected and complementary national energy systems of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova will be disconnected for 3 days from the adjacent systems of the states with which it directly borders. These are Russia and Belarus in the east, as well as Romania, Hungary and Slovakia in the west.
Thus, the two countries intend to conduct a technical test of the total lockdown regime and test the possibilities of energy self-sufficiency. This is being done in order to complete full synchronization with the energy systems of Western Europe next year and abandon the current synchronization with the Russian and Belarusian power grids. Their relationship has been preserved since Soviet times.
As a result of the experiment, the two countries form a kind of isolated energy island for three days.
Currently, for several years there has been no cross-border energy exchange between the Republic of Moldova and Romania, since the two energy systems are not interconnected. This is due to the fact that the Romanian system is integrated into the European ENTSO-E synchronous zone, while the Moldovan one remains part of the post-Soviet zone and is synchronized with it.
The head of the Ukrainian government, Denis Shmygal, announced system tests together with Moldova as part of a single block, and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Moldovan government, Andriy Spinu, citing experts from the European operator ENTSO-E, said that a quick connection to the EU networks is possible.
The authorities promise to ensure synchronization as early as 2023 with energy operators that are members of the European Network of Electricity Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E). Its participants at the moment are operators of EU member states, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Iceland, Macedonia, Montenegro, Northern Ireland and Norway. The ENTSO-E entry plan for Moldova and Ukraine was activated in 2017. Two countries of the former USSR filed a corresponding application back in 2006, but only 11 years later, Ukrenergo signed the "Agreement on the conditions for the future integration of the energy systems of Ukraine and Moldova with continental Europe."
In connection with the experiment scheduled for February 24-26, at least two questions arise.
First: will these actions lead to desynchronization of the power system and its collapse (the so-called “blackout”), which has happened in recent years for various reasons in the USA, Brazil, Russia and some other countries, as a result of which millions of consumers were left without electricity within a few hours or days?
Second: is the prospect of Moldova joining ENTSO-E really close?
“Energy is a very responsible industry, and the people who work in it are very responsible,” said Prof. Nicolai Mogoreanu, a well-known Moldovan power engineer. - And further. They do not get involved in politics unless they are forced to do so. Therefore, I am sure that they will approach the upcoming tests in good faith.”
Nicolae Mogoreanu argues that for Moldova, which receives electricity (except for its own production) from one source - the Moldavian State District Power Plant, no difficulties should arise at all.
In Ukraine, which today is not energy self-sufficient, schedules for increased electricity production and its strictly stipulated consumption by large enterprises will most likely be introduced.
“Usually, power plants operate in nominal mode, figuratively speaking, producing 100%. But for one or three days (no more) they can be put into overload mode, they will produce about 10% more than the installed capacity,” the specialist comments.
Volodymyr Kudrytsky, General Director of the Ukrainian transport operator Ukrenergo, stressed that Ukraine is well prepared for the experiment: 25-35 thermal power plants and 15 nuclear power units are ready to operate at full capacity to cover the national consumption peak over this period, which is estimated at 22-23 GW . He said that in the event of a severe cold snap at the end of this month, an isolated test could be rescheduled for March.
The Moldovan expert is skeptical about the proposed prospects for complete disconnection. “In the South-East of Ukraine, the large cities of Kharkov, Dnipro, Zaporozhye, like all northern regions, receive most of their energy from Russia and Belarus. The fact that Ukraine exports electricity to Moldova, to some European countries, does not mean that it is able to provide for itself,” Nicolai Mogoreanu believes.
Recall that in November last year, Ukraine was forced to request 500 MWh of emergency energy assistance from Belarus due to a significant shortage of electricity in the Ukrainian system.Also, during the experiment, contacts with European countries will be disabled. Romanian energy imports and exports to and from Ukraine are significant, with the Ukrainian energy system linked to Romania, Hungary and Slovakia through the so-called "Burshtyn Energy Island". This is a zone separated from the rest of the Ukrainian grid, which operates several large coal-fired power plants with a total installed capacity of 3 GW, owned by Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov's private company DTEK. That is, this is another "island". The flow in this place is characterized by rather curious figures. Between January and March 2021, Romania's physical imports from Ukraine amounted to 316 GWh, while exports from Romania to Ukraine amounted to 162 GWh, according to Transelectrica.
At the same time, Nikolai Mogoryan considers the talks that already next year Ukraine and Moldova will be able to fully connect to ENTSO-E unfounded. “Forget about Europe for 10 years,” he advises. - This issue has been discussed for 30 years and still stands still. I was in the commission (still Gosplan MSSR), which put forward this idea. So far, nothing has been done. And if it starts to be done (such as the construction of a power transmission line Vulcanesti-Chisinau), then this will not be done in the next 3-4 years. And it's very expensive."
Ukrenergo has already spent €600 million on preparations for synchronization. Experts consider this amount to be very small on the scale of the Ukrainian energy system. For comparison, the Baltic countries, where production and consumption are many times lower and there are no nuclear power plants, have invested more than €1.5 billion in preparations for unification with the EU, and will invest at least another €0.7 billion more.
Moldova will also have to invest, since the main transit of electricity between Europe and Ukraine will have to pass through our territory.
Energy expert Sergiu Ungureanu told LP that in Moldova even its authors cannot explain in detail the implementation of the idea. In the event of a complete disconnection from the networks of Russia and Belarus, it is necessary to build so-called back-to-back stations, without which short circuits or accidents are possible. We will have to build a power transmission line of 400 kV and higher - while they are not available, it is not possible to connect to European providers.
“It is better to have at least two sources. It is risky to expect that there will always be good relations with any neighbors. It is important to increase your production capacity. They should be at least 35-40% (now - about 15%). But this project is not profitable for the economy. I think that they want to implement it for other reasons. I don't know how society will react, because our energy is already expensive,” Sergei Ungureanu said.
The cost of building a back-to-back converter station in Vulcanesti and a 400 kV transmission line Vulcanesti-Chisinau, as well as additional works, is estimated at about 280 million euros. The contract for the construction of a 158 km transmission line with the Indian company KEC International, which became the winner of an international tender, was signed in November last year. According to the contract, all works must be completed within 42 months, their total cost is 27 million euros.
According to experts, the implementation of the back-to-back station construction project, which has not yet begun, will take approximately 4-5 years.
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