• EU and other donors to E5P fund provide €1.2 million grant to Balti, Moldova’s second largest city
• Grant complements the EBRD’s €2.5 million loan for acquisition of new trolleybuses
• New, greener fleet to reach more remote areas, improve service and help reduce air pollution

The inhabitants of Balti, Moldova’s second-largest city, will benefit from better and greener public transport thanks to the planned acquisition of about 10 new trolleybuses funded by the EBRD and the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P) fund.

The EBRD’s loan of €2.5 million to the municipal trolleybus company has now been complemented by a €1.2 million grant from the E5P, to which the European Union is the largest donor.

The grant agreement was signed today by Angela Sax, EBRD Head of Moldova; Ewa Manik, Principal Fund Manager responsible for E5P; Renato Usatii, Mayor of Balti; and Serghei Avramenco, Director of Balti Trolleybus Company.

In Moldova, the E5P is funded by the EU, Sweden, Moldova, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and Lithuania. The EU is Moldova’s largest donor and has to date provided over €1 billion in grant funding.

The new trolleybuses will operate on electricity and use batteries, which will allow vehicles to circulate in remote areas without using wires.

The project will also contribute to the expansion of existing routes, serve densely populated areas and improve the overall efficiency of the service. In addition, the loan will finance the rehabilitation of the old energy supply infrastructure and the purchase of maintenance equipment.

The project is part of the EBRD’s Green Cities, which is helping Balti to develop an Action Plan to identify, prioritise and address environmental challenges. The initiative aims at creating a better and more sustainable future for cities and their inhabitants by investing in infrastructure and adopting the best policies for long-term environmental gains.

The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Moldova. To date, the Bank has invested nearly €1.3 billion in the country in over 130 projects, targeting the banking sector, sustainable infrastructure, trade and agricultural affairs.

Background information on E5P

The E5P is a €220 million multi-donor fund initiated by Sweden and operating in all the Eastern Partnership countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The E5P Fund in Moldova totals €28 million and includes a €1 million contribution from Moldova. The EU is the largest overall contributor with €18.75 million. The funds are to help Moldova improve energy efficiency, contributing to energy security and economic competitiveness, policy dialogue, while having a positive impact on the environment.