On 23 September, EU4Energy Governance hosted online a high-level policy discussion and technical meeting to take stock of the current status and to facilitate the implementation of the Law on Energy and Water Supply and related legal acts and market reforms. The event participants heard interventions from Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development David Tvalabeishvili, Director of the Energy Community Secretariat Janez Kopač, representatives of the EU Delegation to Georgia, the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission, the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation, the Georgian Gas Transportation Company and the Georgian Energy Exchange.

With the adoption of the Law on Energy and Water Supply in December 2019, a clear path towards the development of the energy sector in line with European principles was set, outlining the specific requirements for the development of a competitive energy market. A number of secondary legal acts, which should put market principles envisaged under the law into practice, are yet to be adopted.

In the gas sector, the most important next steps are the approval of the natural gas market concept design by the Government in October 2020, followed by the adoption of natural gas market rules next year. In parallel, the gas incumbent GOGC and distribution companies have to unbundle. An unbundling plan should be presented to the Ministry by the end of 2020, according to the law, and the entire unbundling and certification procedure shall be finalized by the end of 2021, thus ensuring free and transparent third party access to the network. New suppliers entering the Georgian market and competing with existing market participants will improve the quality of service for customers and positively impact price dynamics.

Director Janez Kopač reiterated the importance of speeding up the unbundling process and expressed hopes that the reforms in the area of gas will be implemented with the same high level of commitment by the Georgian authorities, in a timely and proper manner.

On 21 May, the Parliament of Georgia adopted key energy efficiency legal acts: the Law on Energy Efficiency and the Law on Energy Performance of Buildings, which transpose the EU Directives in this field. Georgia has continued to implement electricity by-laws according to schedule, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By adopting the two laws, the Government of Georgia is given the opportunity to receive significant investments in public building renovation programmes, amounting to €80 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and German Bank KfW, €26 million in investment grants and €8.5 million in technical assistance from the EU. Georgia will get an additional €150 million in a policy-based loan tranche from KfW and the French Agency for Development (AFD) for the implementation of reforms.

"The new framework will not only make Georgia's building industry more competitive, but also its households better supplied with energy services, and its building stock better insulated. It will boost the usage of greener energy sources for heating, cooling and lighting," said Violeta Kogalniceanu, Head of the Energy Efficiency Unit at the Secretariat.

The laws were developed under the coordination of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia in close cooperation with the Secretariat, and with technical assistance provided by the EU supported project EU4Energy for the Buildings Law and by the EBRD for the Energy Efficiency Law.

Source: https://www.euneighbours.eu/en/east/stay-informed/news/eu4energy-georgia-adopts-two-key-energy-efficiency-laws?utm_campaign=info%40euneighbours.eu&utm_medium=email&utm_source=transactional

Over the last 10 months, the EU4Energy Governance project, financed by the EU, has worked together with the Georgian authorities to ensure progress in the energy sector.

This cooperation has resulted in the development of seven draft legal acts in the areas of energy efficiency, electricity and gas. Other results have included the organisation of two high-level policy talks, on reforms in energy efficiency and on electricity and gas markets. Additionally, around 200 officials have improved their knowledge and capacity to implement energy reforms.

The EU4Energy Governance project helps to improve the legislation of Georgia’s energy sector in line with the EU and the Energy Community Treaty’s obligations in the field of connectivity, energy efficiency, competitiveness, good governance and better regulation. Citizens of Georgia are the end beneficiaries of improved energy security, supply, connectivity and energy efficiency, as well as of the increased use of renewable energy.

Take part in the #EU4Energy photo competition between 17th and 23rd June for the chance to win an electric scooter.

Who can participate?

The contest is open to citizens over the age of 18 from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine.

How to participate?

What does the future of energy look like? Will it be solar and wind energy, or maybe sustainable biomass and hydropower? Or is the future to be more efficient in how we use energy?

We invite you to share your photos showing how the transition to the future of energy is already happening where you live - solar panels, wind farms, sustainable energy sources such as biomass and hydropower, electric cars and scooters, energy efficient homes and appliances. Look around and share your vision with us!

You can participate in the competition by:

1. Submitting your photo directly on our site by clicking the “Upload your photo” button. 

2. Posting your photo with the hashtag #EU4Energy on your own Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account.

3. Posting your photo with the hashtag #EU4Energy on your own Facebook, Instagram stories and tagging @euneighbourseast page.

The competition runs until 18:00 (CEST) on 23rd June. Up to three entries are permitted per applicant.

What are the prizes?

Up to 10 prizes will be awarded to winners based on jury selection and online voting. A grand prize of an electric scooter will be awarded to the most popular photograph.

This #EU4Energy photo competition is organised by the EU4Energy communications project as part of the EU Sustainable Energy Week and is financed by the European Union.

https://www.euneighbours.eu/en/east/stay-informed/news/eu4energy-photo-competition-future-energy

On 6 March, Energy Community experts in close cooperation with the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC) and the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation (GOGC) launched EU4Energy technical assistance aimed at developing a natural gas storage tariff methodology. The overall objective of the project is to enhance Georgia’s energy security, ensure an uninterrupted supply of natural gas in case of any temporary disruption and to contribute to the improvement of legislative and regulatory environment of the Georgian natural gas market.

The draft methodology compliant with the provisions of Directive 2009/73/EC and Regulation (EC) No 715/2009 and a tariff calculation tool will be delivered with EU4Energy assistance by April 2019.

A social media competition launches today on Facebook, Instagram and Vkontakte with a main prize of a virtual reality headset for the winning entry!

Running until 25^th March, the contest features the #EU4Energy “Babushka”, sharing valuable tips and tricks about how to save energy and money by being more energy efficient.

Participants are invited to post their own energy efficiency tips and tricks in the comments section underneath each Babushka tip. It can be something they have learned at school, work, or at home, or picked up from a book, a friend or parent. Any piece of advice or tip that shows how to consume less energy can be posted.

Open to citizens from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, ten prizes will be awarded in total, with the first prize of a virtual reality headset.

This #EU4Energy competition is organised by the EU4Energy communication project, financed by the European Union.

For more information: http://bit.ly/2Ep9yyF

Twelve journalists from Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan visited the Republic of Moldova on 21-24 may to learn about the results of the Energy and Biomass Project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme. The visit took place in the framework of the EU4Energy Initiative.

The journalists visited a kindergarten in the town of Nisporeni, where 270 children have hot water thanks to solar panels installed with the help of the Energy and Biomass Project. During winter, the entire surface of the kindergarten is heated with green energy produced in the Republic of Moldova.

To heat its rooms, the kindergarten, together with the city hall, buys pellets produced in Moldova, meaning the money it spends on energy remains in the country.

Another stop on the tour was the briquette production line in the city of Balti. Ludmila Abramciuc and Ivan Damaschin are beneficiaries of the Energy and Biomass Project grant programme, thanks to which they were able to buy, and repay in instalments, the necessary equipment for biofuel production.

The journalists also attended a lesson on renewable energy at a school in Chiscareni village, Sangerei district. Together with the students of “Nicolae Casso” school, they answered questions on the green energy sector, as well as making a parabolic solar collector. Professor Nicolae Spanu guided the team through this.

The school in Chiscareni village is also the first public institution in the Republic of Moldova to have switched to biomass heating. In 2005, thanks to a project funded by the World Bank, a biomass power plant using straw bales was installed at the school. To this day, the institution continues to benefit from clean energy.

Meanwhile, the community has connected other public institutions to green energy. The kindergarten in the village has electricity produced by photovoltaic panels and hot water from solar collectors. Next winter, the city hall will replace its stoves with a biomass heating system, installed with the help of European funds through the Energy and Biomass Project.

The EU-funded and UNDP-implemented Energy and Biomass Project in Moldova is part of the EU4Energy Initiative and aims to contribute to the reliable, competitive and sustainable production of energy from biomass, which is the most viable and available source of renewable energy in the Republic of Moldova.

EU4Energy covers all EU support to improve energy supply, security and connectivity, as well as to promote energy efficiency and the use of renewables in the Eastern Partner countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine). It does this by financing projects and programmes that help to reform energy markets and to reduce national energy dependence and consumption. Over the long term, this makes energy supply more reliable, transparent and affordable, thus reducing energy poverty and energy bills for both citizens and the private sector.