New trolleybuses hit the road in Balti with the EU support

• New, greener fleet reaches remote areas and helps reduce air pollution
• Acquisition funded by EBRD loan and multi-donor E5P grant, to which the EU is the largest donor
• Balti working to improve urban environment and residents’ comfort as part of the EBRD Green Cities programme

Commuters in Balti, Moldova’s second-largest city, can now travel on 11 new trolleybuses financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P) Fund. In the Republic of Moldova, the fund is supported by the European Union, the largest donor, as well as the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Sweden, the fund’s initiator and largest bilateral donor.

The municipal trolleybus company of Balti has received a 2.5 million EUR as an EBRD loan and a 1.2 million EUR grant from the E5P, to promote greener public transport.

The new vehicles, supplied by the Ukraine-based company Torhovyi Dim Litan, welcomed their first passengers in May 2021. They operate on electricity and use batteries, which allow them to circulate in remote areas without using overhead wires.

With the new vehicles, the city has expanded existing routes to serve remote, yet densely populated areas and has improved the overall efficiency of the service.

The acquisition is part of EBRD Green Cities, an urban sustainability programme that is helping Balti develop an action plan to identify, prioritise and address environmental challenges. The initiative aims to create a greener future for cities and their inhabitants by investing in infrastructure and adopting the best policies for long-term environmental gains. At the same time, with new vehicles, residents of Balti will benefit from modern standards of passenger comfort in public transport.

The new EBRD and E5P funds follow a successful renewal of the Balti trolleybus fleet between 2012 and 2014. During that period, the city bought 23 modern trolleybuses, spare parts, power-supply infrastructure components and other equipment. That comprehensive upgrade was financed by an EBRD loan of 3 million EUR and a 1.6 million EUR investment grant from the European Union. The E5P is a 243 million EUR multi-donor fund initiated by Sweden and operating in the whole Eastern Partnership region. The E5P Fund in Moldova totals 28 million EUR and includes a 1 million EUR contribution from Moldova. The EU is the largest overall contributor, with 18.75 million EUR. Other donors include the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Sweden. The funds are to help the Republic of Moldova improve energy efficiency, contributing to energy security, economic competitiveness and policy dialogue, while having a positive impact on the environment.