The greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by € 16 million under program "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy"

The realization of the program "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy" will lead to reduction of the greenhouse emissions by 35 thousand tons of СО2 through innovative technologies for utilization of the energy potential of RES and introduction of energy efficiency solutions in the buildings.  This was announced by the Interim Deputy Minister of the Economy and Energy, Anton Pavlov at a press conference for announcing the invitations to presentation of project proposals under the initiative.

The Deputy Minister Pavlov announced that the total budget of the program is about € 16 million, and 85% of it is grant financing in the amount of € 13.3 million, with a period of activity up to April 2017. The initiative is supported by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area on the basis of a Memorandum of understanding between Bulgaria and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and the Ministry of Economy and Energy is a program operator.  MEE partner by the donor’s side is the Directorate of Water Resources and Energy to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy of Norway.

The program includes four grant schemes directed to utilization of the hydropower potential, encouragement of measures for energy efficiency increase and use of renewable energy sources in buildings of state and municipal property, Pavlov clarified. Today we are launching two of the procedures for selection of project proposals. The first grant scheme is "Increasing of the energy efficiency and use of renewable energy in state and municipal buildings and local heating systems". € 7 647 059 is envisaged in the program for the realization of projects in this field.

The second grant scheme is for production of fuels from biomass. Projects for production of pellets, wood chips, ecobriquettes, biogas from farms etc. will be financed under it. Beneficiaries are small and medium enterprises. The budget of the procedure is € 1 764 705. The amount of the grant financing is up to 60% and within the frame of € 30 000 to € 200 000. Measures are foreseen for increasing the energy efficiency and utilization of the energy potential of the biomass in order to reach the general European goals for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions. This is an essential element of the transition to a competitive low-carbon economy, the Deputy Minister pointed out and added that in this regard our country  relied on a useful cooperation  with Norway.

The whole grant financing under this program is about € 13 million – one of the biggest allocations to Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area, the Ambassador of Norway  at Sofia, HE Gyuru Katarina Vikyor, added. She clarified that the experience of the Norwegian state and the business in her country in the field of energy efficiency could be very useful to Bulgaria. Mrs Vikyor announced that representatives of 9 leading Norwegian companies have already held meetings with Bulgarian partners regarding future joint projects.