Italy Grants EUR 10 Million to Moldova for Energy Efficiency
Chisinau: Moldova is set to receive a EUR 10 million non-repayable grant to enhance energy efficiency through initiatives like the installation of smart meters and the digitisation of its energy and social protection sectors.
According to Ansa News Agency, this financial support is provided by Italy through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), supplementing the EUR 10 million allocated in November 2023. The funds will help expand the ongoing pilot programme for smart meter installations, aiming to promote more conscious electricity usage among consumers. By the end of this year, 35,000 meters will be installed, with an additional 25,000 devices planned for 2026.
Prime Minister Dorin Recean highlighted the importance of this project in the context of Moldova’s efforts to improve energy efficiency, expressing gratitude to the Italian government and UNDP for their support. The Italian Ambassador to Moldova, Lorenzo Tomassoni, affirmed Italy’s commitment to supporting a democratic and European Moldova, emphasizing that energy blackmail tactics aimed at hindering the EU accession process have been unsuccessful.
UNDP’s representative in Moldova, Daniela Gasparikova, noted that Italy’s assistance will bolster the country’s Development Programme’s efforts in digitising the energy sector. She highlighted the benefits of increased predictability for consumers and the integration of the Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund into the national social protection system to ensure vulnerable households have extended access to essential services.
The project will also include creating a unified national register of consumption points to improve data management in the energy sector by facilitating data exchange between suppliers, distributors, and consumers. Additionally, a unified platform, ‘eSocial’, will be developed to integrate all available social protection programmes, providing access through a single online portal. The capacity of the Digital Social Innovation Centre at the Moldovan Ministry of Labour and Social Protection will also be enhanced, as concluded by the state agency.