OREANDA-NEWS. December 23, 2013. Contract for their supply to Moldova was signed in Minsk by representatives of “Belkommunmash" and Balti City Hall. According to the contract, "Belkommunmash" should deliver trolleys within 28 weeks.

It is planned that first of them will start operation in May 2014. The Balti mayor Vasile Panciuc said that due to the agreement with "Belkommunmash", the authorities will be able to upgrade almost 100% of the trolleybus park of the northern capital of Moldova.

As InfoMarket agency has informed before, 23 trolley purchased for Balti, will be exempt from VAT, customs duties and fees for customs procedures. Balti trolleybus management acquires trolley within the project "Development of trolleybus transport of Balti ", worth 4.6 million euros, financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Union.

In particular, the EBRD’s loan provided for the project is 3 million euros for 12 years at 5.5 % p.a. with a 2- year grace period of payments. In addition to this loan, EU provides Moldova with a grant of 1.6 million euros. EBRD also announced that it will attract donor technical assistance in the amount of 0.4 million euros to assist Balti trolley park in implementation of the project and to strengthen the company's management.

Applications for international competition for supply of new low-floor trolleybuses for Balti were filed by: Russian consortium Eximotor Trolzamarket, Ukrainian consortium “Sititrans group" and Lviv Bus Plant, Belarus consortium "KarpatBelAZ " and " Belkommunmash ", Chinese consortium Speranta-Yangman Automobile Group Co. The lowest price of € 3.66 million was offered by Belarusian consortium. Balti Trolleybus Park was created in 1972. It can be reminded that in 2011 Chisinau City Hall has acquired 102 trolleys "Belkommunmash ", which won the international tender, on the funds of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank and the European Union.

The total cost of the public transport modernization project in Chisinau amounted to 13 million euros. EBRD and EIB loans allocated 5 million euros and 3 million euros was the EU grant. Subsequently, Chisinau City Hall and "Belkommunmash" agreed to jointly assemble Belarusian trolleybuses in the capital of Moldova, which was launched in July 2012.