Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Stockpiles Management & Destruction GEF Project

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The Persistent Organic Pollutants (Pops) Stockpiles Management and Destruction Project for Moldova aims to protect the environment and human health by safely managing and disposing of stockpiles of POPS contaminated pesticides and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The global project objective of the project is sustainable POPS stockpiles management and strengthening of the regulatory and intuitional arrangements for long term control of POPS and other toxic substances in line with the requirements of the Stockholm Convention and other related conventions and protocols ratified by Moldova. The project has three components. The first component consists of two sub-components. Subcomponent 1 will finance the repackaging and final destruction by incineration of approximately 1,150 tons of POPS containing and contaminated obsolete pesticides. Sub-component 2 consists of three activities: (1) establishing an inventory of PCB containing or contaminated equipment; (2) destruction of a stockpile of obsolete capacitors that would include the following: (a) dismantling of 17,300 obsolete capacitors from thirteen substations and packing in closed containers; (b) excavation of 2,000 capacitors buried in two pits in the Vulcanesti substation and packing in closed containers; (c) destruction of 19,300 capacitors and up to 50 tons highly polluted soil through incineration; and (3) a feasibility study of site clean-up at Vulcanesti Substation. Component 2 includes actions for modernization of current legislation specifically related to the Stockholm Convention and incorporation of provisions for establishing a broader chemical safety approach in the country based on European Union legislation. The third component will support two type of activities: (1) institution strengthening; and (2) project management.