The first factory making pellets from biomass, which was built in Pascani village of Criuleni district with the support of the Government of Japan, is yet on trial and is now testing all kinds of raw material, from sawdust to dry corn plants.

Factory worker Petru Chirita has told IPN that during the testing period they make by 1 tonne of palettes an hour, but the factory does not work to full capacity. “We are now testing all kinds of raw material, like sunflower and corn plants. The largest quantity of pellets is made from sawdust mixed with straw. The quantity made from other raw material is lower,” he stated.

The factory will provide pellets for heating for 25 kindergartens and schools that were outfitted with special boilers purchased with money provided by the Government of Japan. The farmers from the neighboring villages and not only can sell raw material such as sawdust, sunflower plants and vegetal waste that remains after harvesting corn and sunflower to the factory. Petru Chirita said the factory until now purchased raw material from Criuleni and other districts of the country.

At the factory in Pascani, 1 tonne of pellets costs up to 3,000 lei, depending on the raw material from which these are made. Though it works on a trial basis, the factory already sells pellets.

The pellet factory in Pascani was outfitted through the agency of the 2 KR Project that was launched in 2000 to help the Moldovan farmers purchase agricultural machinery. Almost 5,000 farmers have so far bought 7,500 pieces of agricultural machinery.