The Government of Moldova has increased the amount of grants for companies wishing to apply environmentally friendly methods to 500 thousand lei.
This was reported by the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers, noting that in addition, the greening program, which is being implemented by the Enterprise Development Organization (ODA), has been extended for another 3 years. It is emphasized that so far more than 80 enterprises have received grants for the installation of sewage treatment plants, equipment for the introduction of a circular economy or reduction of CO2 emissions, the purchase of equipment for sorting hazardous waste, etc. Minister of Economy Dumitru Alaiba noted that sustainable business means sustainable business, including from an environmental point of view. Therefore, in order to support as many entrepreneurs as possible in the greening of their production processes, the government decided to extend the business greening program and increase the amount of grants allocated to them up to 500 thousand lei. According to the press service of the government, one of the beneficiaries of the grant under the greening program was a marble processing company, which has been managed by Marcel Vutcariov since 2009. In order to improve the production processes at the enterprise and make them environmentally friendly, in 2022 Marcel Vutcariov filed Application for participation in the ODA greening program for small and medium-sized enterprises. With the money received - 200 thousand lei, the company purchased treatment facilities with a capacity of 750 liters per minute, which allows for a closed water cycle in the process of stone processing. “We are the first in the local market to use such a water treatment plant. So far, we have been using a smaller capacity station, but as production increased, there was a need for a larger station to help us process the water and separate the residue from the sand in solid form. I applied to the ODA and received a grant to purchase this equipment. Now we don't throw anything into the environment. All the water that our company uses is treated,” said Marcel Vutcariov. As InfoMarket agency previously reported, the Small and Medium Business Greening Program was approved by the Government of Moldova on November 27, 2019, with a pilot period of 36 months, and in November 2022 it was extended for another 3 years. In addition, only one type of grant was left - in the amount of up to 500 thousand lei per beneficiary. Previously, the program provided for 2 types of grants: small - up to 200 thousand lei and large - up to 500 thousand lei. Own contribution to the project remained unchanged - at least 30%. Grants are issued for the following purposes: application of sustainable production and energy consumption models; introduction of eco-innovations in technological processes; pollution prevention and waste reduction; effective water resources management, etc. About 35 million lei are needed annually for implementation. The total budget of the program for 3 years of implementation is 105 million lei, with the possibility of expansion with the support of local and external donors. Budgetary framework for the medium term for 2023-2025 provide for the implementation of the program 10 million lei per year. The rest of the amount should be covered by development partners. Also responsible for the implementation of the program, the Organization for Enterprise Development (ODA) presented a project to the EU, as a result of which the budget of the greening program will be replenished by 100 thousand euros. Companies operating in the market for up to 2 years are eligible to participate in the SME Greening Program if they have completed entrepreneurship training courses under the SME Greening Program. For enterprises that are more than 2 years old, training is optional. // 12.01.2023 — InfoMarket.
