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HAVE A HAPPY WARM NEW YEAR! NEWSLETTER N. 30 | november – december 2016 CONTENT 2 News CALENDAR OF GREEN ENERGY Green energy is today a part of Moldova thanks to the If you want one of those calendars or agendas please wonderful people that let shine in their homes and contact Ana Goner at 022-839983 or leave a message hearts. at [email protected]. The calendars we have created for 2017 carry this peo- ple’s stories, true stories about courage and initiative. 3 News VAT rate of 8% on the whole value chain of solid biofuels starting with January 2017 A VAT rate of 8% was established on the whole value local sources. It is important to encourage this sector chain of solid biofuels starting with January 2017. The that helps us reduce the dependence on the foreign respective amendment to the budgetary-fiscal and energy and to develop our economy, by creating new customs policy for 2017 was recently approved by the businesses and jobs”, stated Ludmila Abramciuc, Parliament. According to the document, the 8% VAT will manager of a briquette production line in Bălţi be charged on the supply of solid biofuels, as well as municipality. It is worth being noted that, having started the on the raw materials supplied for the production of from scratch, the biofuel production sector has grown solid biofuels (agricultural and forestry products, wood over the past five years, and over 100 companies for waste). The standard VAT rate of 20% was applied on the production of briquettes and pellets have been the biofuel so far, and a rate of 8% – on the natural gas. launched. The monitoring conducted by the Energy This measure equalised the previously discriminated Efficiency Agency and the Energy and Biomass Project bioenergy field with the gas sector and will give a new points out that 70 of them are still active in this sector. impetus to its development. “The Energy and Biomass Project propelled the “This decision was expected by biofuel producers and development of the biofuel production sector through it represents a concrete step made by the authorities leasing arrangements. 35 companies benefited towards promoting the production of energy from from biofuel production lines, shredders or balers 4 News in favourable conditions: 0% rate for the VAT, bank Euros granted by the European Union for the purchase commissions and other fees, a three-year period of of biofuel heating plants. The Moldova Energy and reimbursement. A total amount of 1 million Euro were Biomass Project is a seven-year project implemented allocated for this purpose from the European funds”, during the period 2011 – 2017. The project’s aim is to Victor Cotruţă, manager of Energy and Biomass contribute to the production of safe, competitive and Project, stated. The start up of new businesses in the sustainable biomass energy, the most viable and field of biofuel production was driven by the increased accessible renewable energy source in the Republic demand of the market. Currently, more than 190 of Moldova. The Energy and Biomass Project is funded schools, kindergartens, hospitals in the Republic of by the European Union and implemented by the United Moldova are connected to biomass heating systems Nations Development Programme. built with the support of the European funds provided by the Energy and Biomass Project. In addition to For more information about the Energy and Biomass it, in the framework of the same project, over 1 000 Project, see www.biomasa.md website and the Energie families benefiting from subsidies of nearly 1000 din Biomasă Facebook profile. Note: Another novelty of the budgetary-fiscal policy for 2017 is the annulment of the 20% VAT on electric cars. Previously, because of the VAT value, the costs of the electric cars were noncompetitive, compared to the inter- nal combustion engines, whose excise tax is charged depending on the engine’s capacity and age. Thus, those who will buy electric cars, will pay 20% less for their import starting with 2017. 5 News www.piata-biomasa.md Information Platform Launched A web platform – www.piata-biomasa.md – intended deputy director of the Energy Efficiency Agency, Ion for producers and consumers of biomass energy Cozma, stated. was launched. www.piata-biomasa.md is a platform designed to make the biomass energy market more The web platform also gives to companies, public accessible both for the companies, producers and institutions and individuals the opportunity to place service providers, and for the households across the advertising for the sale of goods and services in country. biomass energy sector, such as: biofuel, biomass, biofuel production equipment, shredders, balers, “The “Energy and Biomass Market” information plat- biomass boilers, etc. form, developed by the Energy Efficiency Agency and the Energy and Biomass Project in Moldova, funded by The website puts at the disposal of its visitors an the EU and implemented by the UNDP, contains useful electronic calculator to estimate the capacity of the information for biofuel producers and consumers, as heating plant and the costs of a building heating, well as for the suppliers of briquetting, pelletizing and depending on several parameters, such as the building’s baling machines, biomass heating plants, energy ser- area and height, the level of thermal insulation or the vices and other elements for the biofuel market”, the average outer and inner temperature. We invite the active companies of the biomass energy sector to register on www.piata- biomasa.md website in order to promote their services. The placement of sale-purchase advertisement and the registration is free. 6 News Energy and Biomass Project was presented to the European Parliament The Energy and Biomass Project was presented to the Delegation to the Republic of Moldova. European Parliament last Tuesday. Three countries members of the Eastern Partnership – Republic of The Energy and Biomass Project II is a continuation of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia – were invited to share the first project phase that started in 2011. With the the impact of the EU investments in the development financial support of the European Union, the project of these countries to the Members of the European connected more than 190 schools, kindergartens, Parliament. community centers and hospitals to biomass heating systems, providing access to reliable energy produced Republic of Moldova was represented by the EU in Moldova to about 140 000 people. funded Energy and Biomass Project, implemented by the UNDP. Ukraine presented the impact of an The success story chosen to represent the Republic anticorruption project, while Georgia – of a project in of Moldova at the European Parliament was Carpineni rural development & agriculture. The event, initiated village, which is one of the beneficiaries of the Energy by the European People’s Party Group, started with a and Biomass Project. There, in 2012 the kindergarten welcome speech by Johannes Hahn, Commissioner and the school were connected to biomass heating for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement systems with the European financial support and in a Negotiations. couple of years other four public institutions – village hall, culture house, another school and the healthcare The results of the Energy and Biomass Project were center – followed suit and switched to biomass presented by Alexandre Darras, Attaché-Project heating. „We used coal and improvised stoves to heat Manager in the energy sector at the European Union these institutions. Often, because of the smoke, we 7 News had to suspend classes to ventilate the rooms. We biomass boilers, biofuel producers, and 372 schools did not heat the corridors and the children often got joined the educational initiative aimed to promote acute respiratory infections. Due to the new biomass renewable energy and energy efficiency, which heating system, we heat all the rooms and our children involved 21 000 students. no longer have to inhale coal smoke. Moreover, the money that are paid for pellets stay in the country. The 2011-2017 Energy and Biomass Project is a two- Every year, about 300 thousand MDL go to the local phase project with the mission to contribute to the producers of pellets”, said Ion Carpineanu, the mayor reliable, competitive and sustainable production of of the Carpineni village, Hancesti district, who took part energy from biomass, which is the most viable and in the event. available source of renewable energy in the Republic of Moldova. The Energy and Biomass Project is funded The Energy and Biomass Project laid the foundation by the European Union and implemented by the United for the development of the renewable energy industry, Nations Development Programme. which was almost missing five years ago in the Republic of Moldova. The increasing demand from institutions For more information about the Energy and Biomass for green energy has led to an increase in the number Project visit our website http://biomasa.md/ and of briquette and pellet producers, reaching 100. Thirty Facebook page of them were started with the support of attractive EU-funded leasing mechanisms developed by the Video message of the Carpineni mayor is available here. Energy and Biomass Project. Today 1000 families use green heating due to the subsidies up to 1 300 EUR they received from the project. The project experts delivered training to more than 5 000 beneficiaries – mayors, managers of public institutions, agricultural entrepreneurs, operators of 8 News First laboratory to test solid biofuels in Moldova received accreditation The solid biofuel laboratory within the Agrarian to produce higher quality briquettes/pellets”, University is the first in the Republic of Moldova to believes Ludmila Abramciuc, manager of a briquette receive accreditation for testing physical and chemical manufacturer from Balti town. parameters of biofuels. The accreditation was issued in November 2016, The laboratory received modern Every biofuel lot proposed for sale shall have available equipment in value of 100,000 EUR from the European information about the country of origin, date of Union, in the framework of Energy and Biomass production and expiration, size, net calorific value, ash Project, implemented by UNDP.