As many as 170 farmers from central Moldova district to use renewable energy for irrigation

Chisinau, 19 October /MOLDPRES/ - The Association of Users of Water for Irrigation (AUAI) Prutenii II from the Grozesti village, central Nisporeni district, has finished the works of setting the installations for producing renewable energy, due to an investments worth about 650,000 lei (32.5 thousand euros), provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity in Moldova project.

Thus, 170 farmers members of AUAI Prutenii II will use renewable energy, in order to optimize the costs for irrigation of more than 1,000 hectares of farmland of the area of centralized irrigation systems.

“USAID has the commitment to make investments which contribute to the transformation of Moldova’s rural zones into engines of economic growth for the country, thus improving the living standards for Moldova’s citizens for the long term,’’ the USAID representative, Mark Simakovsky, said.

Within an investments of two million lei, provided by USAID through the Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity in Moldova project in 2023, three Associations of Waters Users will use renewable energy for irrigation. The works of setting the photovoltaic park at the second association of water users at Slobozia-Dusca, AUAI Criuleni, are finished at the level of 95 per cent and it is to be put into operation in late 2023. The third association, AUAI AcvaGrup from the Puhaceni village, central Anenii Noi district, is setting the photovoltaic park, with the goal to finish the project till late 2023.

On average, an AUAI from Moldova annually consumes over 425,000 KWh to pump more than 577,000 cubic metres of water for irrigation. Or the share of costs for electric energy in forming the tariff per one cubic metre of water used for irrigation accounts for up to 60 per cent, which represents a considerable pressure on farmers. The alternative energy generated will allow the association optimizing the share of the cost for electric energy in forming the tariff for one cubic metre by up to 30 per cent.

Photo: AUAI