Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF) will support the development in Moldova of Innovation Technology Testing Centers known as Sandbox.
The Moldovan Ministry of Energy announced this, recalling that WNISEF is an American investment fund with a portfolio of $285 million, which has been working in Ukraine and Moldova for 29 years. As noted, at the end of last week, WNISEF board members met Energy Minister Victor Parlicov and State Secretary Cristina Pereteatcu, in charge of the energy sector's digitalization. During the meeting, Cristina Pereteatcu presented the concept of testing centers for innovation in the energy sector and the roadmap for the implementation of the concept in Moldova, developed with the support of the United Nations Development Program. Thus, the Sandbox proposals coming from economic agents will be approved by a council, with the Ministry of Energy acting as secretariat, and each Sandbox will be approved by a government decision. The authority of the government to grant such authorization shall be established by law. In order to facilitate the activities of innovative companies, a number of documents are being considered for derogation within Sandboxes: permits, land use and regional planning rules; electricity tariffs, which are set based on certain rules; tax administration rules (but not tax rates); audit and supervision rules adapted to each project; rules on record keeping processes; rules on grid connection, mining, environmental protection, nature conservation, water x, environmental protection, water x, and water x. Sandbox will have a special regulatory regime that allows businesses to experiment with new products, services and innovative business models that cannot operate under the current regulatory framework, while remaining under the oversight of the regulator and maintaining a focus on consumer protection. Using modern market design mechanisms and digital tools, this controlled environment will serve as a dynamic platform for testing and deploying advanced energy solutions, effectively overcoming regulatory barriers and fostering a culture of innovation. "A number of developed countries have introduced or are in the process of introducing Sandbox regulation in the energy sector. These include Austria, Denmark, France, Lithuania and Germany. Moldova aims to become the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to implement Sandbox regulations, which will allow Moldova to make a leap in the global competitiveness of the energy sector and attract the attention of the most innovative investors in the energy sector," said Cristina Pereteaticu, State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy. // 23.10.2023 – InfoMarket
