30 hospitals and student hostels will be rehabilitated as part of an energy efficiency project. This will be made possible with the support of the German government, which is providing a grant of €38.7 million through the German Development Bank KfW, and the French Development Agency, which is providing a €30 million loan. Today, the grant and project agreements on the implementation of the project generically called "INSPIREE" were signed, IPN reports.

Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu said that out of the 30 public buildings to be renovated, there are 16 are public schools and 14 hospitals. It is expected to reduce electricity consumption in the buildings by 60%, which will lead to strengthening the country's energy security, the official said.

Education Minister Dan Perciun, in his turn, emphasized that in order to attract students to Moldovan universities, they need good conditions, which is why a large part of the investments will be made in renovating dormitories. 8 university dormitories and another 8 dormitories of vocational-technical institutions will be renovated.

According to Health Minister Ala Nemerenco, most of the hospital infrastructure was built in the 60s and 80s of the last century and any improvement of a department or installation of high-performance equipment requires a serious change of the infrastructure. Not only the facades, roofs, windows will be rehabilitated, but also modern ventilation systems will be installed, which have an influence on decreasing the rate of infection transmission in hospitals.

The German Ambassador to Moldova, Margret Uebber, believes that the energy crisis since the beginning of the year has shown that energy security and energy efficiency are fundamental elements to ensure energy independence from Russia and to reduce energy costs for citizens. Germany is ready to support the Moldovan authorities in their efforts to increase energy efficiency and to promote renewable energy sources," said Uebber.

The French Ambassador to Moldova, Dominique Waag, said that thanks to the project, more than 200 thousand Moldovan citizens, including students and hospital patients, will benefit from renovated public buildings that will be more comfortable and energy efficient.

The project will be implemented until 2031. The Chisinau government will contribute almost €4.3 million to the total cost of the project, which amounts to around €73 million.