The Parliament building, the Presidential Palace and 65 other public edifices will be re-connected to central plant systems under a Government resolution adopted on Wednesday.

As central plant systems rely on cogeneration, which is a mechanism that produces heat and electricity simultaneously, the measure is expected to save fuel, specifically 4.7 million cubic meters of gas per year. This will translate to a saving of 27.8 million KWh of electricity and 66.9 million gigacalories of heat energy per year.

Minister Victor Parlicov told the Government that the measure will increase the load of combined heat-and-power central plants in Chisinau and Balti by an estimated 9%, reducing their production costs. This means that household tariffs could decrease as well. Moreover, greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to drop by 9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents as a result.

The list for re-connection includes buildings belonging to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, hospitals and educational institutions. Over the years, they had been disconnected because of the declining efficiency of central plant systems as they were becoming worn-down and obsolete. But with investment into their modernization in recent years, the situation is reversing, said Parlicov.

In 2016-2020, with support from the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, about 50 million euros was invested in central plant systems in Chisinau and Balti. About 110 million euros more are to be channeled towards the modernization effort in the ongoing phase (2021-2025).