A report by the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) provides a roadmap for Western Balkans countries to achieve sustained energy efficiency gains in public and residential buildings.
The report estimates that measures in public buildings alone could save the countries in the region nearly 8,000 GWhs.
26 June 2014: A report by the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) provides a roadmap for Western Balkans countries to achieve sustained energy efficiency gains in public and residential buildings. The report estimates that measures in public buildings alone could save the countries in the region nearly 8,000 GWhs.
The report, titled ‘Western Balkans: Scaling Up Energy Efficiency in Buildings,’ presents the key findings of technical assistance activities in this area financed by the ESMAP and the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia Region. The report presents the findings of an assessment framework analysis, assesses financing options and proposes a roadmap for scaling up energy efficiency in buildings. Key steps identified in the report include sustainable financing schemes for public agencies to repay related investment costs, and pooling of funds into national-level programmes for improved coordination, strengthening of institutions and larger-scale savings.
Buildings account for nearly half of energy use in the Western Balkans, with the highest saving potential found in the public sector. Energy demand in the region is expected to increase by 70% over the next two decades, and the region is highly dependent on imported fossil fuels, costing over US$ 4.1 billion in 2012. Catering for this increase in demand is estimated to require sectoral investments of US$ 73 billion by 2030 in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The World Bank estimates total savings potential from energy efficiency measures for these countries at US$ 3.4 billion.
In May 2014, the World Bank also published a series of guidance notes aimed at supporting implementation of large-scale energy efficiency projects in the region, including on development of energy-services markets and establishment of funding mechanisms for future energy efficiency projects.
ESMAP is a global knowledge and technical assistance programme administered by the World Bank established in 1983 to support low- and middle-income countries in increasing know-how and institutional capacity for achieving environmentally sustainable energy solutions. [ESMAP Press Release] [World Bank Press Release] [Publication: Western Balkans: Scaling Up Energy Efficiency in Buildings] [World Bank Guidance Notes] [ESMAP Website]