Initiating government decision for legislative amendments in support of energy efficiency projects

The project aims to amend the following regulations:

• Regulation on energy auditors and energy audit approved by Government Decision No. 676/2020
• Program for the implementation of the energy efficiency obligation scheme for the period 2024–2026 approved by Government Decision No. 1064/2023
• Methodology for determining the contributions to be paid by obligated parties approved by Government Decision No. 1068/2023
• Financing program "Fund for energy efficiency in the residential sector in the Republic of Moldova" approved by Government Decision No. 251/2024
• Regulation on conducting energy audits by large enterprises approved by Government Decision No. 829/2024

The proposed amendments are caused by the recent changes made to Law No. 139/2018 on energy efficiency and will include the following modifications/adjustments to the above-mentioned Government Decisions:

• Exclusion of thermal energy suppliers (for heating, domestic hot water preparation, and/or cooling) from the list of obligated parties, which will positively impact the thermal energy tariffs for consumers connected to centralized heating systems
• Removal of the obligation to include the list of obligated parties in the Program for implementing the energy efficiency obligation scheme
• Contributions under the energy efficiency obligation scheme paid by petroleum product importers (as obligated parties) will be calculated based on imported volumes instead of volumes sold, as currently applied
• Allowing Condominium Owner Associations and individual homeowners (except those with extreme energy vulnerability) to choose the economic agent to carry out EE and/or RES projects, with the National Center for Sustainable Energy subsidizing part of the costs through the FEERM financing program, provided all requirements set by CNED under the “Casa Verde” product are met
• Allowing all legal entities to provide energy audit services, not only commercial companies as currently regulated
• Revising the mandatory character of conducting energy audits for energy efficiency projects financed fully or partially from the state budget, local public authority budgets, or through CNED