EBRD program GEFF was represented in the Kosovo Sustainable Development Week, which was organized in Prishtina on 30 May – 5 June, 2018.
The Deputy Coordinator of GEFF, Alma Lulja, as panelist of the conference for Energy Efficiency emphasized to be pleased that she can present the EBRD’s award-winning Green Energy Financing Facility in Kosovo. The Bank’s Green Economy Financing Facilities (GEFFs) are internationally recognized as the most successful model of involving private sector banks in energy efficiency and sustainability financing. This facility has been implemented so far in 4 countries (Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia) and very soon will start in Albania and Montenegro too.
This facility, not only will help Kosovo households cut energy bills, improve living conditions and reduce emissions, but also will provide expert guidance to local financial institutions on designing the best financial products for green economy, while creating new opportunities for vendors and manufacturers of green technologies. According the market research that was conducted the estimated penetration of typical EE investment in Kosovo in households is 9%, which shows the big potential of EE investments in the market. It is important to highlight that the demand for energy by households is growing and based on statistics 97% of electricity in Kosovo is generated by coal thermal power plants that means that the level of CO2 emitted needs to be urgently addressed.
Definitely, in Kosovo, there are challenges due to market informality but our internal verification process aims to ensure that the investment is done accordingly and CO2 that EBRD wants to reduce is achieved.
It was shared a successful story of a family that has invested in energy efficient technology and has increased the comfort of their house and have reduced the energy bills. Finally, she thanked the international donors who provide strong support to the GEFF programme. The European Union, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance and the European Western Balkans Joint Fund under the Western Balkans Investment Framework make vital contributions towards incentives and technical cooperation.
Some of the conclusions of Kosovo Sustainable Development Week are:
GEFF in the Western Balkans is part of the international EBRD GEFF programme. GEFF in the Western Balkans is implemented under the Regional Energy Efficiency Programme for the Western Balkans (REEP Plus), funded by the European Union and realised in cooperation with the Energy Community Secretariat. The Technical Cooperation programme under the Facility is supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance and the Western Balkan Investment Framework.
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