Seven schools and kindergartens from Ungheni district switched from gas and coal to green energy supplied by a private company. The Ungheni District Council signed a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) contract with a company. The PPP was launched thanks to a grant of 2,131,000 lei, allocated from the European funds of the Energy and Biomass Project, IPN reports.

According to a press release of the Moldova Energy and Biomass Project, the selected entrepreneur for Ungheni is responsible to maintain five biomass heating systems installed with funding from the EU in the framework of the Moldova Energy and Biomass Project, set up two new green energy systems and performed energy efficiency works in several institutions. The total investments of the private company are valued at 1,000,000 lei. The beneficiaries of the Ungheni PPP’s are: schools from Bumbata, Zagarancea, Valea Mare, Sculeni, Harcesti and kindergartens from Floritoaia Veche, and Condratesti.

“We are aware that all changes are perceived with reluctance but, throughout the last heating season, the managers of the institutions were convinced that this partnership was beneficial to them. The seven institutions were duly supplied with thermal heating, as per contractual provisions and at a reasonable price, the cost of a Gcal being of 750 Lei, compared to 1,400 Lei, in case of gas heating,” said Victor Vorobiov, the private partner.

Irina Bodrug, director of the secondary school of Harcesti, said children from three neighboring villages study at their school and it was very difficult in winter - children were freezing on the way to school, and inside they could not warm themselves, so they did not take off their coats during lessons. “Now, we have a comfortable temperature, a very good attendance. I would even say that, with the increase of the temperature in the classrooms, the school performance has also enhanced. The number of respiratory illnesses also decreased,” she stated.

The heating plants will be managed by the company during a period of ten years. Afterwards, the heating plants will become property of the Ungheni District Council.

Ungheni is the second district benefiting from Public-Private Partnership for the supply of biomass thermal energy within the Moldova Energy and Biomass Project, following the successful example of Leova district.

The Energy and Biomass Project, the second stage, is a three-year project implemented throughout the period 2015-2017.The Project has a total budget of €9.41 million, allocated by the European Union, and it is implemented by the United Nations Development Program.