The Energy Efficiency Fund (EEF) in 2013-2016 approved financing for 246 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects submitted by such public institutions as hospitals, schools, nurseries and homes of culture as well as street lighting projects. The data were made public in the open hearings staged by the parliamentary commission on public administration, regional administration, environment and climate change, IPN reports.
EEF director Calin Negura said that these were selected out of 1,300 applications presented within the six calls for proposals published by the Fund. The total value of these projects is 575 million lei. The contribution of the EEF is about 417 million lei of this. “Given the financing commitments assumed by the EEF based on the approved projects and the resources transferred from the budget in 2012-2013, the deficit is 120 million lei. In 2014 – 2015, no money was transferred from the state budget to the EEF,” he stated.
Calin Negura noted that the situation is not yet critical as the financed projects are implemented during two years and each recipient with which the EEF signs a financing contract uses first of all the own contribution, which represents 20% - 25%.
Of the 256 accepted projects, 60 were completed. In this connection, the director of the Energy Efficiency Agency Mihail Stratan said the central and local public institutions convinced themselves of the importance of such projects. “The Republic of Moldova pledged to increase the use of energy based on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects by 2020. Now this figure stands at 13%, with 12.7% of the projects being projects to change the type of fuel used to heat hospitals and nurseries and these institutions are able to economize a lot,” he stated.
The MPs put a number of questions, mainly about the possibility of reducing the implementation term of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and the period during which the investments can be recovered. Given that Parliament recently adopted the law on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources of energy, the MPs recommended swiftly reviewing the regulations governing the activity of the EEF and other documents so as to hasten the process of implementing the projects financed by the Fund.
The Energy Efficiency Fund was set up by the Government in 2012.
