Energy Minister Victor Parlicov visited the BTB Shoneweide cogeneration plant in Berlin, which previously ran mainly on coal and now integrates several renewable technologies.

The plant processes sawdust and uses bioethanol as back-up fuel. In the future it would like to integrate geothermal energy sources, processing municipal waste, using groundwater basins to store renewable heat in summer. The latest technology would also be tested at the CET Nord in Balti.

Minister Victor Parlicov said that among his priorities are the easier integration of renewable thermal energy into the grid, which is why the installation of individual thermal points in each block is important in the first phase. "We are happy to cooperate with companies that develop and apply advanced technologies, to learn from each other for a decarbonized future with safe, sustainable and affordable energy," the Minister said.

The visit to the BTB Shoneweide cogeneration plant in Berlin takes place on the margins of the German-Romanian Business Forum and the Berlin Global Dialogue Conference. The official's agenda includes meetings with officials from the economic committee of the Bundestag, the German legislature.

The German-Romanian Business Forum aims to identify investment opportunities in the new geopolitical context, particularly in industry, innovation and digitalization, as well as to strengthen cooperation between Germany, Romania and the Republic of Moldova.