23.01.2026 | News
An extensive energy-efficiency project in Rivne, Western Ukraine, has improved learning conditions for hundreds of children and strengthened the city’s energy resilience through solar power installations at the city hospital as well as modernisation of the street lighting system. The project has been funded by Norway and managed by Nefco.
The city of Rivne has actively implemented energy-efficiency measures over the past five years. Despite interruptions caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the project was relaunched in late 2022 and continued implementation. This enabled the city to complete energy-efficiency upgrades in five day-care centres; install individual heating substations in an additional six buildings, mainly schools; installation of solar power systems for two departments of the city hospital; and modernise the city’s street-lighting system throughout 2023 and late 2025.
The Norwegian Ambassador, Nefco, and project partners visited the city to review the results of the completed project and participated in the official inauguration of the reconstructed day‑care centre No. 57.
“Energy efficiency is one of the fastest ways to strengthen energy security in the short term, while also helping to build a sustainable energy system for the future. This project, implemented with support from Nefco, achieves both — reducing immediate pressure on the energy system and creating lasting benefits for Ukraine,” commented Lars Ragnar Hansen, the Ambassador of Norway to Ukraine.
In total, approx. EUR 5 million has been provided in grant financing and technical assistance from Norway for the project through the Norway–Ukraine Energy Efficiency Initiative, managed by Nefco. The city has additionally contributed around EUR 445,000 in co-financing.
The comprehensive modernisation of the five day-care centres included new thermal insulation, replacement of energy-efficient windows and doors with energy efficient alternatives, ventilation improvements, and installation of individual heating sub-stations, underfloor heating, heat pump, and solar panels. This decentralised renewable energy solution supports Rivne’s energy resilience. As a result, the day‑care centres and schools have already recorded significant reductions, with expected heat and electricity savings of up to 60%. These improvements have contributed to enhanced learning conditions for nearly 500 children and around 100 teachers and staff.
“With the Norwegian funding, key educational and healthcare facilities, as well as municipal infrastructure, have been modernised in the city, resulting in decreased energy consumption, lower CO₂ emissions, and long-term budgetary savings. The implemented measures also align with the city’s commitments under the NetZeroCities initiative to achieve climate neutrality by 2050,” said Artem Hanushchak, Deputy Mayor of Rivne.
Street lighting across Rivne has also been successfully upgraded, with more than 4,500 lamps replaced by modern, energy efficient LED units. The improved lighting enhances safety for the entire community—over 251,000 residents, including more than 17,000 internally displaced persons. The new LED lamps are expected to reduce electricity consumption by up to 70%.
At the city hospital, solar panels with backup batteries were installed to support electricity supply for the surgical and therapeutic departments. This improves the hospital’s energy resilience and benefits up to 900 people—approximately 480 patients and 400 staff members. The solar panels are expected to cover up to 26% of electricity needs, and during autumn 2025 they already provided around 15% of the hospital’s electricity consumption, generating financial savings for hospital operations.
“Despite challenges due to war time conditions, the project demonstrates how cooperation between all involved partners—Norway, all city departments, consultants, and Nefco—can successfully drive project implementation and deliver meaningful progress in energy efficiency and long-term green transition in Ukrainian municipalities, even under very difficult circumstances,” commented Tetiana Vehka, Project Administrator at Nefco.
Nefco currently has over 60 projects under implementation in Ukraine through its Green Recovery for Ukraine Programme, financed by Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, and the European Union.
For further information, please contact:
Tetiana Vekha, Project Administrator, Nefco
T.Vekha@nefco.org.ua, +380 67 519 8034
Alexey Dumik, Technical Adviser, Nefco
a.dumik@nefco.org.ua, +380 50 352 3383
Photo – From left: Lars Ragnar Hansen, the Ambassador of Norway to Ukraine. and Viktor Shakyrzian, Acting Mayor of Rivne – City of Rivne