MoSEFF collects success stories
https://www.ipn.md/en/moseff-collects-success-stories-7966_990150.html
Orhei-Vit – a well-known producer of juices, jams and fruit and vegetable cans – last year managed to reduce natural gas consumption and the costs incurred to generate the steam needed in production by replacing two steam boilers with modern ones, Info-Prim Neo reports.
The money used to implement this project, which allowed the company to save 24% of energy a year, was provided under the Moldovan Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (MoSEFF) that was launched by the EBRD in February 2010. Its main objective is financing of the private companies modernization for reducing energy cost and improving competitiveness of their production.
Currently, the MoSEFF portfolio includes 60 projects, 28 of which already obtained loans. The total cost of the projects is about 8 million euros. Among the completed projects is the one implemented by SA Covoare-Ungheni – a leader on the home market and a major exporter of carpets to the EU. The loan got from MoSEFF was used to replace 114 windows in the company’s premises. As a result, energy consumption fell by 21%, while CO2 emissions – by 69%. The working conditions in the production block were significantly improved. This company took part in the MoSEFF program with five projects, three of which were implemented successfully, while two are under implementation.
Not only larger companies, but also family businesses started with few money and usually second-hand equipment have the possibility of obtaining MoSEFF loans. The company Coloteia SRL applied for a loan and substituted the meat chopper and sausage making equipment with the obtained money. Consequently, energy consumption and CO2 emissions were decreased by 38%, while the quality of sausages and productivity improved.
Among projects that were approved or are waiting for approval for receiving loans are projects to reconstruct thermoelectric plants at companies, modernize wastewater treatment stations, replace outdated heating system, install heat recovery devices, compressed air systems, power and heat distribution systems, thermally insulate the buildings, set up new ovens at private bakeries.
After an independent audit of the completed projects performed by the Austrian Company ALLPLAN, the companies can receive grants amounting to 10%-20% of the MoSEFF loan. The actual percentage of grant depends on the volume of energy savings and CO2 emissions reduction of a project. The companies applying for MoSEFF loans (from several thousand euros to 2 million euros) benefit from free technical assistance provided by the international team of experts of the German consulting company Fichtner and by national experts.
The launch of the EBRD credit line MoSEFF essentially increased the Moldovan companies’ interest in implementing projects of the kind. MoSEFF manager Tino Mahler said a number of companies expressed readiness to implement energy efficiency projects with their own funds.
MoSEFF is a part of the EBRD energy efficiency initiative. Moldova is the 14th country where this EBRD program is implemented. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of the biggest investors to Moldova that committed more than 460 million euros of loans in various sectors of the Moldovan economy.
