29.09.2021 | News
Energy-efficiency modernisation financed in the city of Ternivka have substantially improved the learning environment for local schoolchildren.
Ternivka is a small city in the Dnipropetrovsk region, in Eastern Ukraine. Most of the inhabitants are employed by the local coal industry. The city is close to the military conflict area and some 1,770 of today’s inhabitants are internally displaced. Nefco began to cooperate with the city of Ternivka in 2018, due to an urgent need to renovate its public buildings.
The primary goal of the project was to implement energy-efficiency measures in one of the educational buildings of school No. 7 – the Ternivka Municipal Council – I-III degree specialised school. The school building was completed more than 30 years ago, and the last partial renovation was carried out in 2011. The obsolete heating and ventilation systems, a lack of insulation and the old wooden windows resulted in extremely low temperatures, high humidity and dim lighting in the classrooms. These learning conditions were well below the requirements and made it literally impossible for children to study in the school.
“Prior to the renovation, the classroom temperatures sometimes dropped to as low as 9 – 13℃ during the winter months. Thanks to the energy-efficiency measures implemented, we have now normalised indoor temperatures, with around 22℃. We are very grateful to Nefco, both for their financial support and for their technical assistance we received throughout the project. The renovation will result in real savings for the city and extend the lifetime of the building,” commented Volodymyr Ilchyshyn, Head of the Education Department at Ternivka City Council.
Total project financing is approx. EUR 560,000 (about UAH 18 million), of which approx. EUR 375, 000 (about UAH 12 million) was a loan financed through the Energy Saving Credits Facility, and approx. EUR 180,000 (approx. UAH 6 million) was a grant financed from the Nordic Initiative for Energy Efficiency and Humanitarian Support in Ukraine programme.
The energy-efficiency measures implemented will help to reduce the energy consumption as well as result in cost savings for the city. The measures will result in annual heat savings of some 1,280 MWh, which is an energy saving of 80% compared to the situation prior to the renovations. Annual cost savings are estimated to be more than EUR 60,000 (approx. UAH 2 million).
“It is very important to support the modernisation of public buildings in Eastern Ukraine, as it contributes to general development and decentralisation as well as strengthens the city’s capacity to provide services. The contribution of blended financing to cities like Ternivka, which have limited financial resources, enables the city to fully carry out the energy-efficiency measures needed, and supports the city in all stages of the project implementation. Successful implementation has been possible thanks to active engagement by all the project stakeholders involved. Together, we continue to support Ukrainian municipalities and cities towards a green transition,” said Julia Shevchuk, Chief Investment Adviser at Nefco Representative Office in Ukraine.
About the Nordic Initiative for Energy Efficiency and Humanitarian Support in Ukraine (NIU)
The foreign ministers of the Nordic countries decided in 2014, on Norway’s initiative, to launch a grant-financed programme for urgent investments needed in Eastern Ukraine. The emphasis was initially on fully grant-financed projects in the five regions closest to the conflict zone. Since then, the the Nordic Initiative for Energy Efficiency and Humanitarian Support in Ukraine (NIU) programme has grant-financed 41 projects for urgent renovations of public buildings and street lighting systems in 29 cities, of which 32 projects have already been implemented. Read more about the NIU programme.
About the Energy Saving Credits (ESC) Facility
The Energy Saving Credits Facility offers small-scale financing to municipalities in Armenia, the Republic of Moldova, Russia and Ukraine for investments in social facilities such as day-care centres, schools, hospitals and street lighting. The funding can be used for energy-saving measures in connection with the refurbishment of public buildings and modernisation of street lighting. In Ukraine, 73 projects in 56 cities have received financing through the ESC Facility, of which 54 have been implemented since 2012.
Photo: School No. 7 in Ternivka – Ramboll for Nefco