Moldova is getting solar power plants and experience from Lithuania

Lithuanian-funded solar power plants have started operating in 15 Moldovan institutions – hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and cultural institutions. They have a total capacity of almost 1 MW, with €800,000 from the Climate Change Programme.

"Lithuania's financial support for climate change mitigation in developing countries is very important not only from an environmental point of view, but also in transferring Lithuania's experience on the road to energy independence from imported energy sources," says Jonas Balkevičius, Director of the National Programme Management Department of the Environmental Project Management Agency.

In Moldova, electricity produced by other countries and other imported resources still account for a very large share. This leads not only to high pollution, but also to energy dependence and the risks that this entails. The installed solar power plants will generate around 1.2 million kWh per year. This will enable the institutions to generate about half of their electricity needs and save about 1,000 tons of CO2.

"By working together and cooperating, we can achieve significant results on climate change and renewable energy. These investments will contribute to Moldova's energy independence and help reduce the use of fossil fuels. We hope that this cooperation will continue in the future," said Irina Vlah, Head of the Gagauz Administration.

Lithuania's support to developing countries to mitigate climate change is part of its commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Since 2014, Lithuania has decided to implement bilateral development cooperation projects instead of contributing to international funds. These bilateral projects are an opportunity for our companies to transfer their technologies and experience, to discover new markets in developing countries and to contribute to climate change mitigation goals.

During this period, around three dozen solar power plant projects have been implemented or are in the process of being completed, with a total capacity of almost 6 MW. They have received around €8 million in Lithuanian support, of which around €6 million is from the Climate Change Programme and the rest from Lithuanian companies.

Environmental Project Management Agency's information