OREANDA-NEWS. October 18, 2012. Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister, Economics Minister Valeriu Lazar met the director of the Sustainable Development Department in the Middle East and North Africa Region, Laszlo Lovei. The officials discussed World Bank's portfolio as well as its subsequent assistance in various sectors.

According to the ministry's information and media communication department, the officials pointed out the priorities of the energy sector, in particular aspects related to the Chisinau central heating system's reform. Deputy Prime Minister Valeriu Lazar spoke about the present situation of the energy sector, saying the Economics Ministry has launched an extensive restructuration of this sector, taking into account the difficult economic and financial situation of the companies in this sector, level of payment for energy resources as well as the debt stock.

In the context, the Concept and the Action Plan on the corporate, institutional and financial restructuration of the Chisinau central heating system was approved in December 2011. Chisinau Municipal Council in September 2012, approved the restructuration concept, providing for political commitment in the implementation in practice of the restructuration measures in the energy sector.

According to the Economics Ministry, the implementation of the Concept will help record positive evolution in the thermal energy sector in Chisinau. It will also help improve the security, quality and efficiency of the thermal energy's delivery at affordable prices; it will help attract strategic investments in the sector, which allow the increase in the thermal energy enterprises' activity. Lazar touched upon the modernisation of enterprises, which will become possible after the merger of the CET-1, CET-2 thermal electric power stations with the municipal heating provider Termocom, implying foreign investments and the management of current debts.

Lazar spoke about the importance of World Bank's support during the process following the reform of the heat supply system. While elaborating the Concept, experts took into account the suggestions included in the report related to the Study on the institutional and financial restructuration of the centralized thermal-energy supply in Chisinau. The report was carried out with the Swedish government and World Bank's support.

For his part, Laszlo Lovei assured the Moldovan official of the World Bank's availability, to back the Moldovan government in implementing the action plan on the restructuration of the thermal-energy sector. He reiterated the WB's availability to back the creation of the new enterprise, resulted from the merger of the thermal electric power stations CET-1, CET-2 and the Chisinau heating provider Termocom. Laszlo spoke about the WB's willingness to offer consultancy in managing the historical debts of the newly created enterprise, in improving the system of granting households social aid for paying bills as well as in elaborating tariff adjustment policies to the thermal energy.

Lazar thanked the World Bank's representatives for backing Moldova through various projects developed here, reiterating Moldova's willingness to further cooperate both during the current and new projects. The current World Bank's portfolio comprises 28 projects amounting to 317.5 million dollars. The projects mainly aim at the infrastructure, development of human resources, rural development, financial and private sectors.