On 4 June 2024 at Digital Park in Moldova’s capital city Chisinau, PMCG staged a final workshop presenting the results of the “Study on the Morphological Composition of Municipal Solid Waste” and an evaluation of Moldova’s prospects for waste-to-energy (WTE) production.
Specifically, funded by USAID, PMCG has been leading Tetra Tech’s task order under the Moldova Energy Security Activity (MESA).
Among the workshop’s attendees were government officials, representatives of international financial institutions (IFIs), sector experts, and other key stakeholders. They all took the valuable opportunity to ask questions, give feedback, and discuss ways forward in Moldova’s WTE production.
In particular, the workshop entailed a presentation of the aforementioned study’s results, including comprehensive findings from a year-long survey. Waste generation forecasts were also shared for specific regions.
Study Reveals Massive Waste-to-Energy Potential for Moldova’s Main Cities
According to the study, about 65% of solid household waste generated in the capital city Chisinau and Moldova’s second largest city Balti can be transformed into energy.
Specifically, this proportion includes food scraps, paper, cardboard, textile materials, leather, pyrotechnics, and wood. From these materials, electrical and/or thermal energy can be generated.
Steering Moldova Towards More Efficient Waste-to-Energy Production
Broadly speaking, the Activity assessed the potential to generate energy from municipal solid waste. It also explored the plausible technologies and scenarios for doing so.
Tetra Tech’s Marius Taranu, PMCG’s Demetrios Economides and Roni Kvachadze, as well as Tatiana Tugui of Pro-Mediu Experts Associations (PMCG’s local partner) delivered presentations.
Ultimately, the workshop, and the Activity as a whole, enabled an in-depth understanding of Moldova’s solid waste composition. Furthermore, it offered informed insights into the potential and feasibility of WTE production in the country and led to the development of strategic recommendations for various stakeholders.
The latter included policymakers, government agencies, municipal authorities, environmental and energy experts, as well as the general public. They will all benefit to varying degrees from the improved waste management and energy solutions brought about by the project.
