Transformer fault delays Vulcănești–Chișinău power line
The long-awaited launch of the high-voltage Vulcănești–Chișinău power line, which was due to enter service by the end of the summer, has been postponed again. The latest setback was caused by a fault in a current transformer at the Chișinău substation, discovered shortly before the project was due to begin commercial operation.
During an inspection of the site, Energy Minister Dorin Zhungietu said the defect was identified while associated equipment was being installed. The faulty transformer is not part of the substation’s core infrastructure, but it is required to connect the facility to the 330 kV network. Without it, the line cannot be fully energised or brought into commercial operation.
“I discussed with the contractor the situation regarding the station’s associated equipment and the measures that need to be taken to eliminate the faults identified in one of the transformers providing the connection to the 330 kV network. During the installation of related equipment, a fault was detected in one of the current transformers. It is not part of the station’s core infrastructure, such as the autotransformers, protection, automation and control systems, which effectively form the heart of the substation, but it provides the connection to the 330 kV network, and without it the line cannot be fully energised or the project brought into commercial operation,” Zhungietu said.
The equipment was returned to the manufacturer’s plant in Spain at the beginning of June. During dismantling, the manufacturer decided that additional inspections were required, and those checks, together with repairs, are expected to take several weeks.
Minister demands action over missed deadlines
Zhungietu described further delays to the Vulcănești–Chișinău power line as unacceptable and demanded that the contractor speed up the work. He also said those responsible should face consequences and ordered that the transformer fault be included among the grounds for financial penalties against the contractor.
The Vulcănești substation has already been completed and tested, while the transmission line infrastructure itself was finished ahead of schedule in November 2025. Nevertheless, without the remaining work at the Chișinău substation, commercial operation of the entire project remains impossible.
The project was initially supposed to be completed by the end of 2025. The deadline was subsequently pushed back because of weather conditions and logistical difficulties, adding another delay to a project repeatedly presented as central to Moldova’s future energy independence.
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said on 31 July that the line was expected to enter service on 27 August, timed to coincide with Moldova’s Independence Day. The latest technical problem has now disrupted that timetable as well, extending the wait for a project whose launch has already been postponed several times.
