Repaired equipment for the Vulcănești-Chișinău line arrives in Moldova; tests will take over a month
The faulty equipment from the Vulcănești–Chișinău power line, previously sent to Spain for repairs, is en route to Moldova and will arrive this week. After that, the line will need four to five weeks of testing and technical integration before it can be put into operation, Minister Dorin Junghietu announced on Moldova 1.
"Regarding the well-known equipment sent to Spain for repairs—we received information late last week that the work is complete and that, this week, it is due to be packed and shipped by land to the Republic of Moldova. Once it arrives, the contractor will need approximately four to five weeks for integration and the necessary testing," the minister stated during the September 23rd broadcast of the Bună Dimineața program on Moldova 1.
The Minister of Energy stated that the Vulcănești–Chișinău power line project has entered its final stage.
"The line is ready; it underwent voltage testing—without load—on June 21–22. The Vulcănești electrical substation has also been tested and formally accepted. We are now waiting for the contractors to complete work on the Chișinău substation so it can be put into operation," stated Dorin Junghietu.
The Vulcănești–Chișinău power line—also known as the Independence Line—is vital for the Republic of Moldova's energy security, as it establishes a direct connection between the national grid and the European grid via Romania.
Its most significant strategic advantage is that this infrastructure will completely bypass the Cuciurgan Power Plant in the Transnistrian region. Consequently, the country will eliminate a major historical dependency and a critical vulnerability to geopolitical risks.
We remind you that the commissioning deadlines for the Vulcănești–Chișinău power line have been postponed several times, due to factors including weather conditions and technical issues discovered with the equipment.
Authorities had previously planned to inaugurate the facility on Independence Day; however, they detected a malfunction in one of the current transformers on August 21.
The equipment was sent to the manufacturer's factory in Spain for repairs.
The overhead power line has a total length of 157 kilometers and traverses 35 localities across eight districts, connecting the Vulcănești 400 kV substation with the Chișinău 330 kV substation. The infrastructure can transmit up to 630 MVA, equivalent to more than 50% of national peak demand.
The World Bank funds the Vulcănești-Chișinău overhead power line under the Electricity System Development Project. The project's total budget is 61 million euros, of which approximately 27 million is allocated to constructing this line.
