Public buildings in Sarajevo to get energy efficiency boost:

Forty public buildings in Sarajevo will get a major energy efficiency upgrade thanks to a €10 million financing package from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU).

Twenty-nine schools, six kindergartens, three student dormitories and two outpatient clinics in the capital of Bosnia and Herzgovina will be refurbished with the funds, a €8 million loan from the EBRD and a €2 million grant from the EU.

The priority project under Sarajevo Canton’s Green City Action Plan — which identified investment in urban public infrastructure as one of its priorities — is expected to lead to annual evergy savings of about 13.7 GWh and 4,774 tonnes of CO₂ savings.

Energy efficiency measures will include the introduction of cleaner and more efficient heating, better insulation, better lighting and overall improvements.

“The proposed measures will not only make the buildings more comfortable for users and minimise the consumption of heat and electricity, but will also reduce air pollution in the city,” said EBRD Head of Bosnia and Herzegovina Manuela Naessl.

“The EBRD is working with many partners, including the two entity governments, on measures to reduce pollution and improve energy efficiency in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is still a long way to go but this is an important step in the right direction,” she said.

The project is the latest in the city supported under EBRD Green Cities, which Sarajevo Canton joined in February 2019.

The framework is designed to help cities to a sustainable development vision and their strategic objectives as well as define actions and investments necessary to address priority environmental issues.

Previously, in Feburary 2020, Sarajevo received two loans totalling €35 million to transform its public transport system through the overhaul of its 19.5 km-long dual-track tramline and the purchase of up to 25 new electric trolleybuses.

It was expected to boost quality, comfort, capacity and efficiency of the service while reducing the trolleybus fleet’s electricity consumption by 50 per cent.

In the announcement, EBRD Managing Director for Central and South-Eastern Europe Charlotte Ruhe pointed out that the number one environmental challenge in Sarajevo was air quality.

The city of Sarajevo, with a population estimated at 360,000, is the largest in the country. The Sarajevo Canton, a BreatheLife city member, is the regional administrative district that includes the city of Sarajevo and surroundings and has a total population of around 450,000.

Adapted from the story on the EBRD website: Public buildings in Sarajevo to become energy efficient

Banner photo by Goran Has/CC BY 2.0