Insulating the walls or ceilings of a kindergarten, school or hospital will have to comply with a set of minimum technical requirements and specifications, as will the purchase through public tenders of street lighting fixtures, photovoltaic systems, air conditioners or any other procurement of goods and works related to the authorities' energy efficiency.

Representatives of local public authorities were trained today at a workshop in Chisinau on how to comply with sustainable public procurement, taking into account recent changes in legislation on energy efficiency, energy performance of buildings and energy labeling, which transposed European directives and standards in this field. The workshop was organized by the Agency for Energy Efficiency, with the support of UNDP Moldova, in the framework of the EU-funded project "Addressing the impact of the energy crisis in the Republic of Moldova".

These requirements and specifications were subject to public consultation, taking into account the experiences of local public authorities and other expert recommendations. They will be endorsed by the Energy Efficiency Agency and will be taken forward by other national programmes, such as those run by the Entrepreneurship Development Organization, the National Office for Regional and Local Development.

"Energy efficiency is the cheapest source of energy. Energy efficiency is a major priority of our country, it is part of the National Plan "Building European Moldova". Buildings are the largest energy consumer, accounting for about half of the total energy consumption, and public authorities own many buildings that require interventions to make energy consumption more efficient. We are proposing that the works and goods purchased from now on should comply with these minimum requirements, for the benefit of all citizens," said Constantin Borosan, State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy.

"Energy efficiency is not only about energy consumption, but also about the quality of services, goods and works procured. In 2022, the total volume of public procurement exceeded 13.6 billion lei. We well realize that many public institutions do not have energy efficiency or renewable energy specialists to prepare procurement documentation reflecting the level of performance and quality of equipment and materials existing to date. Therefore, the set of minimum quality and energy performance requirements that we are providing to public institutions will help to improve the quality, energy performance and sustainability of projects implemented with public money," said Ion Muntean, director of the Agency for Energy Efficiency.

According to UNDP Moldova expert Lucia Arsenii, the application of these performance requirements aims to ensure that the contracted goods and works contribute to energy efficiency that will serve citizens for a longer period. "Public authorities must play an exemplary role in using and promoting the latest and most efficient technologies, examples that will then be taken up by business and the residential sector. We expect the concept of sustainable procurement to become a basic principle for the public sector and to ensure the implementation of quality works", said Lucia Arsenii.

The training of local public authority representatives will continue in September in Cahul and Drochia, for those from the north and south of the country respectively.