Eng
On 21 December, as part of a national workshop, the draft National Program on Energy Saving and Renewable Energy for 2022-2030, developed under the “EU4Climate” EU-UNDP regional project, was presented and discussed with stakeholders.
With about 70 participants, including representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, European Union in Armenia, UNDP in Armenia and other donor organizations, practitioners from sectoral ministries, state bodies and committees, specialists from private sector, NGOs and foundations in energy sector, Electric Networks of Armenia and Gazprom Armenia, as well as local and international experts of the energy sector, the discussion aimed at supporting long-term low-emission strategic development of the energy sector in the country.
The Deputy Minister of Environment, Gayane Gabrielyan and the Head of Energy Department, MTAI, Tigran Melkonyan welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance of the discussion of such a key document. The speakers highly appreciated the joint interagency and donor cooperation for activities to eliminate the impacts of GHGs coming from energy sector and to meet the existing regulatory challenges in the sector for greener economic development and stronger protection of the environment.
Andrea Baggioli, the International Aid/Cooperation Officer of the EU Delegation in Armenia, emphasized the productive cooperation between the EU and Armenia under Comprehensive and Extended Partnership Agreement (CEPA) specifically in energy sector, referring to the completed and ongoing projects aimed at enhancing renewables, fostering energy saving and energy efficiency, as part of overall low-carbon development goals of the country.
“Armenia’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions 2021-2030, developed under EU4Climate initiative, sets a new mitigation goal of 40 reduction of GHGs by 2030, for realization of which the EU supports country’s efforts in improving climate policies and legislation in harmonization with EU regulations. The activities under the Project, that are also compliant also with the EU Green Deal principles, support Armenia’s path towards green recovery and sustainable development”, mentioned Mr. Baggioli in his remarks.
Hovhannes Ghazaryan, the Head of Climate, Environment and Resilience portfolio strengthened the vital importance of the draft document both for the implementation of energy sector's development goals and for the country's commitments to mitigate climate change. “We believe that the reduction of emissions from energy sector through enhancing the usage of renewable energy resources, is a key step for reaching country’s ambition of achieving carbon neutrality and green growth ”, mentioned Mr. Ghazaryan.
The event was an effective platform for identifying and reviewing the problems and gaps existing in energy sector. The outcomes of a number of issues raised and discussed by the participants will contribute to the finalization of the draft National Program on Energy Saving and Renewable Energy for 2022-2030.
