Moldova is to receive a EUR 10m non-repayable grant to promote energy efficiency through the installation of smart meters and the digitisation of the energy and social protection sectors. This was reported by the Moldpres news agency, pointing out that the contribution is provided by Italy through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), supplementing the EUR 10m allocated in November 2023.
The funds provided by Italy will be used to expand the ongoing pilot programme for the installation of smart meters that will help consumers in their more conscious use of electricity: 35,000 meters will be installed by the end of this year, with another 25,000 devices to be installed in 2026. "This project is very important, especially in the context in which the entire country is working to improve energy efficiency. We thank the Italian government for the assistance it is providing to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova and Undp for the implementation of the project,' said Prime Minister Dorin Recean.
The Italian Ambassador to Moldova Lorenzo Tomassoni said that, in a spirit of friendship and solidarity, Italy will continue to support a democratic and European Moldova for a peaceful and prosperous future, Moldpres added. 'Energy blackmail is one of the instruments of the hybrid war aimed at slowing down the EU accession process. This blackmail has not worked and will not work,' said Tomassoni.
For her part, Undp's representative in Moldova Daniela Gasparikova emphasised that Italy's assistance will strengthen the efforts of the country's Development Programme in digitising the country's energy sector. "Consumers will benefit from increased predictability and, by integrating the approach used by the Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund into the national social protection system, we aim to ensure that vulnerable households have extended access to essential services," she said.
The project also envisages a unified national register of consumption points to facilitate the exchange of data between suppliers, distributors and consumers, improving data management in the energy sector.
A unified platform, 'eSocial', will also be created to integrate all available social protection programmes and allow access to them through a single online portal. Finally, the capacity of the Digital Social Innovation Centre at the Moldovan Ministry of Labour and Social Protection will be developed, the state agency concludes.
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