The business of making solid fuel from biomass is profitable for the producers that do not purchase raw material from which the briquettes are made, specialists said in the National Bioenergy Forum held in Chisinau on July 18. The officials attending the event said the conception of sustainable energy is not yet implanted in Moldova. By the end of this year, the Government will propose an initiative by which the state will offer support to the producers of solid fuel, IPN reports.
Deputy Minister of Economy Tudor Copaci said that compared with 2010, the number of solid fuel producers rose from several dozen to over 100. Moldova just starts to use renewable energy and this segment needs to be promoted more so as to attract more consumers. A number of 120 national companies producing biofuel supply over 170 institutions that use biomass-based heating systems and the number of such companies is on the rise,” he stated.
Deputy Minister of the Environment Dorin Dusciac has told IPN that the use of renewable energy will diminish the consumption of non-renewable energy, whose sources are more polluting and have a more negative effect on the environment. “Bioenergy is not only a developing sector of the national economy. It contributes directly to the preservation of the ecosystem,” he stated.
Nicolae Zaharia, senior specialist in business development at the Energy and Biomass Project, said most of the problems faced by the producers of solid fuel are related to the supply of raw material and the people’s distrust in sustainable energy.
Valentina Ursu, director of the kindergarten of Cotiujeni, Briceni, which is a beneficiary of the Energy and Biomass Project, said they installed two biomass boilers for the local kindergarten and school as the fuel is both ecological and cheaper than the gas and coal. Their bills are now by 45% lower.
Producer of solid fuel from biomass Alexandru Ciundu said those who install biomass boilers must be supplied with fuel directly as there are intermediaries that put a margin on one tonne of solid fuel and sell it more expensive.
The National Bioenergy Forum was organized by the EU – UNDP Energy and Biomass Project and the Energy Efficiency Agency in a move to create a durable platform for discussions and identify solutions to the problems faced in this sector.
