Energy-vulnerable households to get higher compensations

Chisinau, Aug. 17 /MOLDPRES/- Parliament approved today new legislative instruments to support energy-vulnerable households.

Thus, two new categories of energy vulnerability will be established - primary and extreme. It will allow the identification of the most vulnerable households from an energy point of view and offer higher compensations when paying bills for energy consumption during the cold period of the year.

The document also proposes the integration of the two instruments to support citizens in the cold period of the year - the aid for the cold period of the year and the compensations for paying energy bills - in a single mechanism: the payment of energy compensations. During the 2022-2023 cold period, about 170,000 families benefited from both payments, completing two separate applications in two separate information systems.

At the same time, in order to improve the equity of the system, the list of criteria that will be taken into account when determining the degree of energy vulnerability is to be expanded. Currently, the program does not distinguish between adults and children, people with disabilities, urban or rural residents, etc.

Another problem that will be solved by applying the proposed provisions is the reduced impact of the measure for the inhabitants of rural areas who are not connected to energy sources for heating. Depending on the household's circumstances, it would benefit from either compensation in the invoice or a monetary payment from the Energy Vulnerability Fund.

According to existing information, in the cold period 2022-2023, 80% of the households in the Republic of Moldova, i.e. over 600,000 households, were classified in the category of very high energy vulnerability. In 2023, the amount of 893.1 million lei was provided for the grant of aid for the cold period of the year and the payment of compensation for energy resources to disadvantaged families.

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