180m lei will be used to implement energy efficiency projects

The Government on April 25 is to approve the regulations on the Energy Efficiency Fund, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar announced, saying a sum of 180 million lei will be allocated from the state budget this year for supporting energy efficiency projects and projects to use renewable sources of energy, Info-Prim Neo reports. ”The regulations will lay down clear criteria for projects eligible for co-financing. Both the private sector and the public one will be able to submit such projects,” Valeriu Lazar said in a public meeting held by the Energy Efficiency Agency on April 24. The Agency was created one year ago. “Our efforts are aimed at promoting the conception of efficient use of the exiting energy resources, including renewable resources that are present in Moldova in a sufficient quantity,” said the Agency’s director general Mihai Stratan. He also said that the volume of energy used to produce a unit of energy intensity is four times higher in Moldova than in the EU countries. The Agency’s vice director Calin Negura said that 25 million lei was allocated from the 2011 state budget for financing energy projects. “Public institutions and local public authorities submitted 216 applications concerning projects to the value of 188 million lei. This shows that the people realize the necessity of improving energy consumption. Seventy-four of the projects were considered eligible. In the end, money was allotted for 36 projects,” he stated. Calin Negura stressed that the energy efficiency measures led to a reduction of over 740 tonnes in CO2 emissions, which represents the saving of 320,000 liters of gasoline. The investment recovery period for the projects financed in 2011 is seven year. The projects will help save over 50% of the used energy.