Building & Design

The Ukrainian government has signed an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on a sustainable energy action plan.

The country, which is one of the least energy efficient in the region, has been working with the EBRD as part of its Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI) since 2006. In the last few years, Ukraine has attracted EBRD funding of €647 million for energy efficiency projects.

The latest plan lays the groundwork for ration of use of existing energy resources and the sustainable and efficient supply of power in the future. The Ukraine and the EBRD will work together to review the country’s energy tariffs and legislation, introduce a legal framework to support renewable energy and improve energy efficiency of residential and public buildings.

The EBRD will also look at investing in projects focusing on industrial energy efficiency, clean power and renewable energy, supply and infrastructure.

The bank has also announced a €18.85 million investment in Freenergy, an Estonian investor in renewable energy in Eastern Europe.
The investment will support Freenergy’s plans to upgrade and develop its current 15 wind farms in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. When the upgrade work is completed, the wind farms will have a total capacity of 330 MW – tripling the region’s current capacity.

“Promoting renewable energy generation is one of the EBRD’s key priorities in the Baltics,” said Peter Reiniger of EBRD. “[This] and will set an example of successful business in green energy generation.”

For further information:
www.ebrd.com/index.htm