We're modernizing for your comfort

Published: 29 June 2020

The company "CET-Nord" SA, the largest heat supplier in Balti successfully implemented the project "The thermal energy system of Balti" and evolved to a new stage of electricity and heat production using the cogeneration system.

To finance the Project, a loan agreement worth 7 million euros was signed between the Republic of Moldova and the EBRD with grant components worth of 3 mill. euro from the E5P and an investment of 740 000 euro from the EBRD, the total amount of the investment is 10 740 000 euro.

The company "CET-Nord" SA, is the largest heat supplier in Balti and it had successfully implemented the project "The thermal energy system of Balti", evolving to a new stage of electricity and heat production by using the cogeneration system.

Since its inception in 1956, the plant has undergone several stages of modernization and was initially fueled by coal and after that by oil. Since 1990, energy boilers, which put turbogenerators into operation, have been operating on a natural gas.

In order to align with latest technologies, it has been decided to implement an extensive Central Modernization Project.

The project was carried out with the support of:

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development;
Eastern European Regional Partnership Fund for Energy Efficiency and Environment (E5P), whose contributors are: the European Union (the largest contributor), the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Norway, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Sweden;
The Swedish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (SAICD), and
The Fund for the Countries in Early Transition (FCET), whose contributors are: Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taipei China and the United Kingdom.

With the support of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Finance, ISPE Romania as a technical consultant, the contractors of Energomontaj-Romania, Polimongaz pipelines - Republic of Moldova, Darnic Gaz - Republic of Moldova, Onninen-Finland and their subcontractors, we were able to successfully start and implement the Project "The Thermal energy System of Balti SA "CET-Nord".

The modernization project has been phased in and has several objectives:

the construction of the power and thermal cogeneration plant (for now the first in our country, which uses such modern technology) equipped with 4 Jenbacher internal combustion engines with natural gas operation.

The plant generates an increase in electricity production by about 60% and offers flexibility in adjusting thermal load, reduces specific natural gas consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

Construction of the thermal agent pumping station and the replacement of air and combustion gas fans equipped with frequency converters to existing boilers. This will reduce by more than 30% the electricity consumption required for pumping and will allow automatic adjustment depending on the thermal load.

Replacing the coal-fueled boiler in the Moldova thermal power plant with a biomass-operated boiler was another objective achieved by us in this Project.

Thus, environmental pollution has been reduced by eliminating coal consumption and it also offers the possibility of restoring hot water supply in the households.