The Government of Moldova and the World Bank on March 16 signed an agreement for an additional credit to the Republic of Moldova in the amount of $10 million for the Energy II Project, Info-Prim Neo has learnt from the Ministry of Economy and Trade. The agreement was signed by Minister of Finance Mariana Durlesteanu and the World Bank Country Manager for Moldova Melanie Marlett. The additional financing will be directed towards scaling-up funding under the heating component and improving the efficiency of heating services and hot water supply in 54 buildings from 12 Moldovan settlements: medical institutions, kindergartens, boarding schools and high schools. According to Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Tudor Copaci, after the signing of the agreement, the beneficiaries of the extended component were thoroughly selected from a list of over 200 institutions from different districts of the country. The Energy II Project was named one of the winners in the World Bank’s “Improving the Lives of People in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) 2009 – A Celebration of Learning and Innovation” competition held during February 18-19, 2009. “The implementation of the heating component contributes significantly to the transformation of the heating sector into a more efficient sector from economic viewpoint, based on the rational use of energy resources,” Tudor Copaci said. The activities carried out under the Energy II Project form part of the extensive reforms in the energy sector initiated by the Government with the financial support of the World Bank, which provided a $35 million credit in 2003 for the purpose.