GIS Development in Romania

Vlad Trusca

Head of Climate Change Unit

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development

“REC Workshop “Facilitating GIS: first lessons learnt and the way forward”

Budapest, 24 April 2008

Overview

GIS – what is happening… GHG Emissions Trends GIS Background GIS Principles Projects Eligible for GIS Financing Priority Areas for GIS Projects GIS Activities…already done …still to be done

GIS – still not implemented…

Discussing about GIS for more than 5 years

Experience in GIS development and operation is still limited

CDM and JI procedures are very complicated

Still no official agreement (deal) has been made (public) - WHY?

No problem with the eligibility for almost all countries

Different studies available - variety of procedures and structure

Buyer – AAUs; good price (lower than CDM); reliable structure

and procedure; environmental credibility → GIS

Seller – funds available; good price (higher than CDM); project

selection flexibility; capacity building → GIS (MoE interest)

GIS Background

All eligibility criteria for flexible mechanism already met

Final eligibility from UNFCCC will be received officially on

1st September 2008 (16 months compliance rule)

Study “Romanian Green Investment Scheme” coordinated

by REC and financed by Japanese Special Fund

3 local experts + REC prepared report in cooperation with

MoE (views expressed in the report are expert’s only)

Political will to develop GIS

Institutional system ready for GIS (Env.Fund Adm. or PMU)

Legal and procedural systems to be finalized soon

GIS Principles Simple, reliable and flexible No need for an international framework or model GIS should be used bilaterally based on national interests Different countries – different GIS concepts More money on GHG emission reduction projects instead

of “documents” and “validations” like in JI Less complicated project approval procedure No transaction costs related to project approval Acceptance of different types of projects (co-benefits) Monitoring of project implementation instead of emissions Limiting the time delays in the approval process

Projects Eligible for GIS Financing

Hard greening: investments in technology, equipment and

activities leading directly to quantifiable GHG emissions

reductions:

– energy projects: energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste– non-energy projects: forestry, agriculture, transports

Soft greening: capacity-building, awareness raising, education,

projects where GHG emissions reductions cannot be quantified:

– information dissemination about GIS, project calls

– consultancy on climate change activities

– training for public authorities experts, education in schools

– climate change related seminars and conferences

Priority Areas for GIS Projects

Rehabilitation of district heating systems

Construction of small co-generation installations (non-ETS)

Recovery of methane generated by urban waste landfills Fuel-switching in energy productive installations (non-ETS)

Reducing non-CO2 emissions in industrial installations

Energy efficiency in buildings (public and private)

Construction/rehabilitation of renewable energy productive

installations (hydro, geoth., wind, solar, biogas, biomass) Reducing GHG emissions in agriculture and transports Afforestation and reforestation

GIS Activities…already done

Key principles agreed internally + political will

GIS responsible authority - Ministry of Environment

Necessity of MoUs between Parties + state contracts

Draft Governmental Decision for GIS prepared based on

the REC study – under internal negotiations

GIS project approval procedure prepared – to be

approved after the GD

Institutional system agreed in principle – 2 easy options

Negotiations already started with different buyers

…still to be done

Adopting the Governmental Decision for GIS establishment

Updating the National Strategy (June 2008)-establishing the

amount of AAUs to be traded and indicative price range of AAU

Possibility to trade AAUs to companies (not only with

Governments) - still under legal evaluation

Identifying and approving projects with environmental and

social benefits and finalizing the database with possible GHG

emissions reduction projects (JI & GIS) - great potential also

outside EU ETS

Clarify the possible GIS implications to EU ETS - is it possible?

Initialization of the GIS pilot phase during summer 2008

Thank you

For further information contact:

Vlad Trusca, UNFCCC & JI National Focal PointMinistry of Environment and Sustainable Development

email: vlad.trusca@mmediu.rophone: + 40 21 316 22 20

Websitewww.mmediu.ro/dep_mediu/schimbari_climatice/schimbari_climatice.htm