21.12.2023 | News
Thanks to European Union funds managed by Nefco, a university laboratory building in Lutsk has been refurbished into an energy efficient dormitory for students, lecturers, and their families who have fled other parts of Ukraine due to the war.
- Nefco leverages on EU actions in Ukraine with support from Nordic governments and other stakeholders. This is the first completed urgent housing project funded by the EU through the Neighbourhood Investment Platform (NIP) and managed by Nefco.
- Nefco’s unique capacity and outreach enables quick and transparent project implementation. Construction work on the dormitory began in October 2022 and was completed in August 2023.
- Nefco supports Ukraine and its citizens on a local level. Nefco started its cooperation with the city of Lutsk in 2013 and has since financed five other energy efficiency and wastewater treatment projects in the city and continues despite and due to the war.
Tumash Maksym, a second-year student at the Lutsk National Technical University (LNTU), has already had to search for shelter and safety several times over in his young life. “I was born in Donetsk. When the war started in 2014, my family and I moved to Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. In 2022, however, the war came to this city as well, and my family and I moved to Cherkasy,” he says.
While Cherkasy in central Ukraine is relatively safe, the effects of the war can still be felt there. When time came for Tumash to choose a university, he thought of Lutsk, a city at the bend of the river Styr in northwestern Ukraine. “I have relatives living nearby and I also read favourable reviews of the LNTU,” he continues.
As a resident of the university’s newly refurbished dormitory building, Tumash now has his own positive experience to share. “Living conditions in the dormitory are great thanks to European-quality building renovation work. What I like the most is that there are household appliances, from a kettle and microwave oven to two refrigerators—one in my room and another one in the kitchen—and table tennis equipment.”
Tumash believes that Ukraine’s substantial reconstruction needs go beyond what state support alone can provide. “With the help of our country’s European partners, we can tackle the current situation together.”
Tumash is among approximately eight million internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Ukraine, according to estimates by the country’s Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories. Due to these numbers, there are now pressing demands that must be met, the most important of which is providing IDPs with basic housing requirements. Following a directive from the Ministry of Education and Science, students, lecturers and employees from Donetsk National University, along with their families, were relocated to a structure at the LNTU that was specifically allocated for this IDP category.
Prior to the renovation of the former laboratory building, the structure did not hold heat well. Moreover, it lacked automated weather and hourly heat control systems, used outdated lighting, and relied solely on traditional energy sources, leading to significant energy expenses.
An EU grant of EUR 1.66 million, managed by Nefco, made it possible to implement several energy efficiency measures. Apart from the installation of essential utilities, the roof was replaced, the windows were upgraded, and the facade was insulated. As the dormitory has been retrofitted with living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and common areas, those residing in it now enjoy improved living conditions.
These refurbishments are expected to result in around 40% lower electricity consumption and around 65% lower heat consumption per year. This will result in around EUR 50,700 annual savings for the university.
“This international project is of extreme importance for Lutsk. The dormitory has been thermally modernised, and all utilities and ceilings have been replaced. The tripartite investment project by Nefco, the LNTU, and the city council is an example of a successful international aid programme as well as successful local management,” says Ihor Polishchuk, Mayor of Lutsk.
“The ‘EU Support to Urgent Housing Needs for Internally Displaced People in Ukraine’ project implemented by Nefco aims to boost the capacity of municipalities to provide housing and basic services to IDPs. The EU and Nefco are helping to meet the urgent housing requirements of vulnerable people by renovating existing infrastructure, like this laboratory building, into a dormitory that meets higher energy efficiency standards; this will provide housing for students and teachers who had to flee war-affected regions in Eastern Ukraine,” states Chloé Allio, Head of the Economic Cooperation, Energy, Infrastructure and Environment Section for the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine.
“Nefco collaborates directly with Ukrainian communities towards long-term green recovery. We work in close cooperation with the EU through various financing initiatives, such as the Neighbourhood Investment Platform (NIP). We are delighted to contribute to the resilience of Lutsk and help provide decent living and study conditions to students, teachers and their families who were forced to flee their homes due to the war,” says Iryna Fedorenko, Investment Advisor at Nefco.
This is the first completed urgent housing project for IDPs funded by the EU through the NIP and managed by Nefco. Construction work began in October 2022 and concluded in August 2023. Nefco started its cooperation with the city of Lutsk in 2013 and has since financed five other energy efficiency and wastewater treatment projects in the city and continues despite and due to the war.
For further information, please contact:
Iryna Fedorenko, Investment Adviser, Nefco
+380 96 270 9622, iryna.fedorenko@nefco.int
About The Nefco Green Recovery Programme for Ukraine
The Nefco Green Recovery Programme for Ukraine is a multi-contributor programme that comprises individual initiatives from various contributors. Through these initiatives, the programme provides financial and technical assistance to municipalities for their repair and rebuilding in an environmentally sound way and builds capacity for designing local green recovery plans. Since 2010, Nefco has financed around 350 projects in Ukraine. Read more on www.nefco.int
Photo: The energy-efficient renovated university laboratory building in Lutsk for students and professors displaced by the war – Department of Information Work of the Lutsk City Council