SMEs encouraged to implement energy efficiency projects

Energy efficiency is a new concept and its importance to reducing production costs and the expenses of household consumers has no been fully understood yet, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar said in the national conference “Sustainable Energy and Energy Efficiency for the Business Environment”, which was organized by the EBRD's Business Advisory Services Program (BAS) Moldova, Info-Prim Neo reports. Valeriu Lazar said that Moldova imports 95% of the energy resources. This makes it dependent from economic viewpoint as well as from political viewpoint as it does not have an alternative in choosing suppliers. “The Government will soon approve a plan of action in the energy sector. We aim to diversify the energy supply sources by building electricity and natural gas interconnections. In parallel, we are negotiating Moldova’s accession to a union that includes electric system operators. This will enable us to integrate with the pan-European energy market. The third objective is to increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable sources of energy up to 15%. By implementing energy efficiency projects, we plan to reduce consumption by 25-30%. The Government, private sector, foreign donors and the mass media should thus join efforts. The EBRD’s BAS Program deserves being followed,” said the official. Valeriu Lazar informed that the Energy Efficiency Agency started work. It is headed by Mihai Stratan, who worked in the field for about 10 years, including for a private company operating in the energy efficiency sector. EBRD Representative in Moldova Libor KrKosca said 25% of the over €100 million allocated by the EBRD to Moldova in 2010 went on energy efficiency projects. “€12 million of the €20 million MoSEFF (Sustainable Energy Financial Facility) credit line, opened by the EBRD in three Moldovan banks, have been used. From next year, the credit line will be augmented by €15 million for supporting energy efficiency projects,” said Libor KrKosca. BAS Moldova manager Veronica Arpentin said that training seminars on energy efficiency are organized within the program with support from the Government of Sweden. The companies that access advisory services for implementing energy efficiency projects benefit from grants. “Not all the companies, especially the small ones from rural areas, know how to devise projects to replace the old equipment and to determine the impact of these changes. We provide advisory services for them and pay up to 70% of the cost of these services, but not more than €10,000. All the companies that accessed such services - about 40 - received grants to the value of €1.4 million since 2009,” said Veronica Arpentin. Stefan Golubciuc, director general of Orhei-Vit, said the company took out loans through the MoSEFF line for two energy efficiency projects. They changed the heating systems and installed modern boilers at the company and one of its branches. “The EBRD provides the Moldovan businesses not only with loans, but also knowledge, information and experience,” he stated.