RUS Improving Efficiency in Public Buildings in the Russian Federation - under the Energy Efficiency Umbrella Program

The proposed EBRD-GEF project is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Russia by improving efficient use of energy in Public Buildings such as kindergartens, schools, hospitals, and public offices. By combining technical assistance with financing, the EBRD aims to help local authorities overcome common obstacles to financing energy efficiency (EE) improvements such as allocation of resources for energy audits and project preparation, tendering procedures, and management of larger-scale programs that may need additional dedicated resources. By the end of the project, a sufficiently large number of Russian cities will be using EPC mechanisms (target 5 cities) and numerous other Russian cities will have been supported or trained (target at least 50) that they can then build on this experience and continue the development of the market without outside influence. Investment barriers will be addressed through credit for municipal EE investments and the introduction of the sale of receivables (forfaiting) as a means of EE financing. Direct emission reductions from the project, over 20-year equipment lifetimes is estimated to be 3.8 million tonnes.