Major investments are needed for Chisinau to have modern street lights

The modernization of Chisinau street lighting system according to EU standards will improve energy efficiency by 50-70%. This one of the conclusions of the study about capital’s street lights, Info-Prim Neo reports. The study “Street lighting in Chisinau: functional, esthetical, architectural, touristic, investment and efficiency aspects” highlighted the array of problems that need to be tackled by various public structures, said Liubomir Chiriac, manager of IDIS Viitorul. “This study was done for Chisinau municipal authorities, to stress some recommendations, so that the Municipal Council could come up with some concrete actions in the near future”, Chiriac mentioned. The study shows that three-thirds of all street lights are worn-out and the city lighting system is barely functional. Because of public authorities’ financial problems, public services are below-par and this has a negative impact on traffic security, pedestrian circulation and the whole public safety, claims study author and engineer Sergiu Aparatu. One of the possible solutions is the reform of Municipal Enterprise Lumteh, responsible for public lighting, according to the public-private partnership model. Financing should come from investors. In order to attract the business community, investors must be offered legal guarantees and tax relief, said Sergiu Aparatu. According to the study, in current conditions, Lumteh loses 8-9 million lei yearly. A serious problem is Union Fenosa’s reluctance to accept a lower tariff for periods when energy consumption is lower as well, like nights or summer. Sergiu Aparatu mentioned there was a decision of the National Energy Regulatory Agency in this direction, but the energy provider failed to reach an agreement with public services management. Another recommendation concerns street classification according to international norms and setting lighting conditions for each category. This will increase the system’s efficiency and will save the city’s finances, according to one of the study’s authors, engineer Nicolae Mogoreanu.