Increasing energy efficiency is a strategic goal for the Republic of Moldova, and 2022 will be the first year when regulated energy companies will be able to implement ESCO projects, said Alexandru Ciudin, Director, Agency for Energy Efficiency, Chisinau, within the event Regional approach: Chisinau 2021, organized by Energynomics.
“Increasing energy efficiency is a strategic objective of the energy policy of the Republic of Moldova, because, worldwide, efficiency contributes to improving the security of energy supply, sustainable development, reducing CO2 emissions and saving primary energy sources,” said Alexandru Ciudin. The Agency for Energy Efficiency is an authority subordinated to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development, having as its basic mission the development of state policy in the field of energy efficiency, energy performance of buildings, capitalization of renewable energy sources and financing, management and implementation of projects in these areas in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
In 2021, the Agency for Energy Efficiency initiated the elaboration of normative acts regulating the energy area in the Republic of Moldova. “We are close to adopting contract models for energy performance. We focused our attention on two directions – the first is related to regulated energy companies, and the second is related to public institutions. In the first direction, we are at the end of developing contract models for energy performance, calculation methodology on financial, economic and energy parameters of energy performance contracts. I hope that 2022 will be the first year in which regulated energy companies will be able to implement ESCO projects in the Republic of Moldova”, said Ciudin.
“We launched and developed a roadmap to identify a series of obstacles that, today, prevent the implementation of ESCO projects in public institutions. We have identified a series of legal shortcomings, we are going to negotiate with the main institutions concerned to start amending the primary legislation”, he said. Referring to the obstacles in the way of public procurement, Ciudin mentioned the fields of taxation and accounting.
At the same time, in 2021 the Agency launched the IT platform for monitoring and verifying energy savings. “It is a platform that operates according to a general calculation methodology accepted at the EU level. Practically, it is operational, we are going to distribute it at the national level. It will generate reports and data on energy efficiency and CO2 emissions.”
The Agency has initiated the development of the national plan to increase the number of buildings with zero-zero consumption. “We are at the end of drafting this plan, which will have a time horizon until the end of 2027. By the end of the year, I hope to submit for approval to the Government this plan, which provides mechanisms and obligations for companies that want to build new buildings, and also for old buildings that will be renovated and should have a type D energy performance”.
The Energy Efficiency Agency has succeeded in reforming the energy audit services industry in 2021. “Even in Romania, there is no legal framework as comprehensive as we developed in the Republic of Moldova. We have managed to develop the template models for energy auditors, to approve minimum requirements for energy auditors and we are on the final lap to approve the code of conduct for energy auditors. Likewise, we are very close to approving the Regulation on the information system of auditors. We currently have about 43 energy auditors registered in the three categories – industry, buildings and transport “, said Ciudin.
The conference Regional Approach: Chișinău was organised by Energynomics with the support of our partners: ABB România, Electrica Furnizare, Kawasaki Gas Turbine Europe Gmbh, LAPP România, Nova Power & Gas, Siemens Energy Romania, Transelectrica, Transgaz.
