Energy Minister Victor Parlicov is taking part in the Green Transition Forum 4.0, which is currently taking place in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.

During the panel, dedicated to the transformations and challenges in the energy sector, Victor Parlicov first of all referred to the current situation in the field of thermal energy, emphasizing the need to decarbonize it.

"When talking about the green transition, the focus is on promoting renewable energy. However, if we look realistically at the way energy is used, but also at the structure of consumption, in fact, we see that in the Republic of Moldova electricity represents a relatively small share of consumption. In our country, only 13% goes to electricity, while approximately 50% of energy is consumed in the heating sector. It is here that we need to think carefully and discuss this issue from the perspective of the green transition. We need to focus our efforts on decarbonizing heating. How can we decarbonize this sector? We have 64% of households using wood as their main source of heating. We have to find a solution for these people as well, but we also have to think carefully about decarbonization in the residential sector," said the minister.

Victor Parlicov reiterated the importance of energy storage concerns in the context of Ukraine's extremely difficult situation.

"If we learn how to store heat, we can become more flexible in storing electricity. Due to the uninterrupted bombing, Ukraine has lost most of its electricity generation capacity. This could push people to leave even big cities and could generate a new wave of refugees, people will simply leave if they don't have electricity," said Victor Parlicov.

In this regard, the minister emphasized the need to invest in energy infrastructure, which would contribute to strengthening energy security, but also to a better functioning market.

"I have noticed that practically everybody tends to become an exporter of green energy, because almost in every country the production of green energy is much higher than the consumption capacity, and this is where the need to invest in infrastructure arises, and storage has become an important concern. In countries that have functioning energy markets, storage is already intervening, even with technologies that are not very mature, even with technologies that are still very expensive, but storage is becoming a priority and an opportunity for the business environment", concluded the Minister.

The participants in the panel discussion congratulated the Republic of Moldova on the official launch of negotiations on accession to the European Union, which will open up new opportunities in the process of energy interconnection and integration into the European energy market.

The Green Transition Forum 4.0 is a major international event that discusses common priorities on the European green transition agenda and promotes new and innovative opportunities for environmental protection.

More than 170 speakers, leaders, opinion leaders and energy and climate experts from more than 18 countries have been invited to the Forum, debating a range of topics focused on sustainable development, green economy innovations, energy transformation, smart agriculture and the fight against climate change.