Waste Management Consultant

The first phase (2011-2014) of the Moldova Energy and Biomass Project (MEBP) with a budget of 14.56 million EUR project, funded by the European Union and UNDP and implemented by UNDP, contributed to a more secure, competitive and sustainable energy production in the Republic of Moldova through targeted support to the most viable and readily available local source of renewable energy, which is biomass from agricultural wastes.

In 2015 the Project entered its second phase in the framework of the Eastern Partnership Integration and Cooperation (EaPIC) programme, based on its continued high relevance and the clearly identified need to further support the consolidation of the emerging biomass market in the country. The extension timeframe spans until the end of 2017 with additional EU-funding of 9.41million EUR.

Major activities of MEBP include development of the public sector through creating demand and private sector through increasing the capacity on the supply side of the biomass sector. Creating demand on the public sector side consists of grants and capacity building activities that are oriented to the installation of biomass-based heating systems within publicly managed institutions: schools, hospitals, kindergartens, etc. Increasing the capacity of the supply side consists of various financial and technical assistance mechanisms to support competitive development of solid biofuel production and biomass boiler technology transfer.

One of the centerpieces of MEBP activities is to support developing the local legal and policy framework that would be prone to establishing a competitive basis for biomass market. Moldova is a net importer of energy products and a predominantly agricultural country where solid biomass potential could have an immediate application if proper policies and frames exist. Supporting local biomass production through legal, financial and institutional instruments is one of the priorities Government of Moldova (GOM) has set in its 2030 National Energy Development Strategy. 

The first efforts to create systematic supply and demand started in early 2011 when MEBP 1 was launched. GOM through Ministry of Economy (MOE) established Energy Efficiency Department to develop policies and Agency for Energy Efficiency (AEE) to implement those policies through coordination and attraction of donor assistance, managing that assistance, coordinating and synergizing various sectors, players and value chains oriented to produce competitive and reliable renewable products and systems.

Despite some progress, biomass potential remains unexplored and remains vulnerable to market variations and non-functioning systems like legal support, subsidies, competitive and affordable finances, associative representation and lobbying, access to technical assistance, know-how and technology, etc.

One of the underlying MEBP elements is to introduce innovatory ideas to the Moldovan environment through technology, business models, legislation or public private partnerships. One activity closely considered by MEBP is piloting a municipal waste operator for biofuel production and supply. Currently several models in the form of municipal or private enterprises providing services to a group of municipalities are being piloted throughout the country. The services cover for examples water supply, solid waste management, street lightening and others. Five focus among other things on waste collection. A considerable share of household wastes, if collected separately, can be further used as raw material for solid biofuel production.