The Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on September 11 launched a project in the framework of which a study of the current and potential social and environmental impact of the hydropower generation facilities on the Nistru River shall be developed. The project is funded by the Government of Sweden and will be carried out during 2018-2019 and has a budget of approximately US$ 550,000, IPN reports, with reference to a press release of UNDP Moldova.

The study will be developed by the end of 2019 and will provide the authorities of the Republic of Moldova with evidence-based data regarding the environmental and socioeconomic impact of the hydropower generation facilities.

The project will contribute to strengthening negotiation skills of the Committee regarding durable use and protection of the Nistru River that includes 19 representatives of the central and local public administration, academia and environmental NGOs. The Committee was established based on the Agreement between Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova regarding cooperation in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development of the Nistru River, which was signed by the parties in Rome in 2012.