Moldova will receive new EUR 10 million grant from Italy for smart meter installation, energy sector digitalization, and social protection
This was announced by the Moldovan government, noting that this grant will be provided by Italy through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and will complement the EUR 10 million allocated in November 2023. The funds allocated by Italy will be used to expand the current pilot program for the installation of smart meters. Thus, 35,000 smart meters will be installed by the end of this year, and another 25,000 will be installed in 2026. "This project is especially important because the entire country is working to improve energy efficiency. We thank the Italian government for all the assistance it provides to Moldovan citizens and the UNDP for implementing the project," said Prime Minister Dorin Recean. According to him, smart meters encourage consumers to use electricity during periods when demand is low, energy is cheaper and the load on the grid is lower. Thus, the initiative helps to balance energy consumption during the day and reduce the load on the network during peak hours. Italian Ambassador to Moldova Lorenzo Tomassoni noted that in the spirit of friendship and solidarity, Italy will continue to support a democratic and European Moldova for a peaceful and prosperous future. "Energy blackmail is one of the instruments of hybrid warfare aimed at slowing down the process of joining the European Union. This blackmail has not worked and will not work," said Lorenzo Tomassoni. UNDP Resident Representative in Moldova Daniela Gasparikova emphasized that Italy's assistance will strengthen UNDP Moldova's actions to digitalize the energy sector in our country. "Consumers will gain more predictability, and by integrating the approach used by the Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund into the national social protection system, we aim to provide vulnerable households with increased access to basic services," said the UNDP Resident Representative in Moldova. In addition to the installation of smart meters, the assistance received will be used to create a unified National Register of Consumption Points to facilitate the exchange of data between suppliers, distributors and consumers in order to streamline data management in the energy sector. In addition, a single eSocial platform will be created that will unite all existing social protection programs and allow access to them on a single online portal. In addition, the potential of the Digital Center for Social Innovations under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection will be developed.// 27.01.2025 — InfoMarket.
