Energy Country Profiles

• Albania

• Bosnia & Herzegovina

• Bulgaria

• Croatia

• Czech Republic

• Estonia

• Hungary

• Latvia

• Lithuania

• Macedonia

• Moldova
  • Administration
  • Energy Policy
  • Energy Market Actors
  • Energy Supply
  • Energy Sources
  • Energy Demand
  • Environment
  • References

• Montenegro

• Poland

• Romania

• Serbia

• Slovak Republic

• Slovenia

• Turkey

• Ukraine

• About enerCEE|
• Green Electricity in CEE|
• Energy Policy and EU Enlargement|
• enerCEE Links

• Home
• |Moldova
• |Energy Demand

During the years 1990-2005 substantial changes took place to the volume and structure of energy consumption, which due to a severe economic recession, dropped from 10,4 million tons of oil equivalent (mtoe) in 1990 to 1,74 mtoe in 2001. Since 2001 consumption has been increasing gradually, to reach 2,52 mtoe in 2005.

[Energy Strategy of the Republic of Moldova until 2020]

Demand per sector

Demand per Capita

The energy consumption per capita is approximately 25 GJ, of which about 1000 kWh of electricity.

The residential and tertiary sector is the main energy consumer, with 60% of the consumption, followed by industry (21%) and transport (18%). Households absorb approximately 41% of electricity and transport about half of oil products.

[Enerdata]

Energy intensity

Prospects for Energy Saving

In 2007, the Energy Strategy of the Republic of Moldova until the year 2020 was adopted. The Strategy acknowledges energy efficiency as one of the priorities for the national economy and for the energy sector. EE has been also declared as a key objective under the EU-Moldova ENP Action Plan (Objective 66). Currently the energy intensity in the country is about three times higher than in the European Union. It is estimated that a well-planned and concerted implementation of an energy efficiency program in Moldova could reduce the financial impact of the energy sector on the GDP by 1,6-1,7% per year, starting with 2008. The pursuit of higher energy efficiency does not concern only the energy sector but cuts across all sectors of the economy and energy consumption and, therefore, has a highly decentralized character. As a result, it requires a variety of approaches and types of measures, which generally differ from one sector to another.

The key principles of state policy in the field of energy efficiency are:

• gradual approximation of national legislation with EU secondary legislation on energy efficiency until the year 2010;
• increasing awareness and providing technical-scientific and information support for energy saving and energy efficiency activities;
• harmonization of interests of energy consumers, suppliers and generators for energy saving;
• transparent granting of incentives for energy efficiency interventions;
• mandatory implementation of energy saving measures by legal entities;
• close monitoring by the State of the progress in efficient use of energy resources.

Specific objectives in the field of energy saving and increasing energy efficiency include:

• implementation of the National Program for Energy Conservation 2003-2010 and its due extension, with an on-going biannual update, while taking into account the EU Commission Green Paper of 22 June 2005 on "Energy Efficiency - or Doing More With Less" and the Green Paper of 8 March 2006 "A European strategy for sustainable, competitive and secure energy";
• developing, approving and applying standards aimed to increase efficiency of energy consuming equipment, especially in line with standards set out in EU legislation on energy efficiency;
• developing and encouraging through promotional material and moral incentive energy saving initiatives that increase energy efficiency within the budget funded sector, households and national economy branches, including the energy sector;
• promoting the use of efficient, economically viable and non-polluting energy technologies and equipments in all sectors of the national economy;
• encouraging application of new rules for investments and incentives to increase energy efficiency whilst promoting development, such as setting up specific standards for energy resources consumption, which would accept use of resources saved as a result of energy efficiency actions for other production purposes or activities of enterprises and organizations;
• establishing a database on energy efficiency options and providing free access of legal entities and individuals to this information;
• promotion of consultancy and audit services by private or state organizations, which will provide information about energy efficiency programs and technologies, as well as technical assistance to state and private sector consumers;
• setting up zonal energy efficiency demonstration centres;
• elaborating price and taxation policies which provide clear signals favouring energy efficiency.

Measures to achieve these objectives include:

• reviving and extending the activities of the National Agency for Energy Saving, which will be assigned a role in the implementation of the National Energy Saving Program;
• cooperation in the field of energy efficiency and development of renewable energy sources with European Union and CIS structures, including technical assistance;
• closely monitoring the transposition of the EU secondary legislation on energy saving and energy efficiency;
• promoting energy efficiency through energy consumption minimization technologies in buildings and especially in public buildings, including the use of renewable energy sources;
• designing and providing financial support instruments for energy efficiency projects, efficient technologies, and research and development in this field; to this end, the National Fund for Energy Saving will seek funding both from the State budget sources and from grants;
• actions towards establishing energy service companies (ESCOs) and use of other financial instruments and organisational approaches to stimulate commercial banks to invest in energy efficiency projects;
• setting up energy efficiency demonstration zones which will disseminate and promote the achieved results from demonstration projects at both the national and local levels;
• setting up minimal energy efficiency standards for different equipment and technologies (e.g. for buildings, transportation, home appliances, common industrial equipment, etc.), to be gradually harmonised with EU standards;
• study of the possibility for establishing a market for trading green and white certificates;
• review of price setting methodologies and taxation of energy products so as to incorporate incentives for energy efficiency.

[Energy Strategy of the Republic of Moldova until 2020]

Prices

1 EUR = 14,8617 LEI (National Bank of Moldova, 30-09-2008)