Ivano-Frankivsk is the administrative, economic and cultural center of the Ivano-Frankivsk oblast. Total area of the city is 83.73 km2. Population in 2013 was 245.6 thousand. For many years the city has been working with technical assistance projects in various areas. The partner organizations of the city include the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and others. Ivano-Frankivsk became the first city in Ukraine, which received a loan from NEFCO to implement the energy efficiency measures in the state-financed organizations. Currently the city participates in several infrastructure projects simultaneously using funds from the international donors. Information about these projects is presented below.
The City Council Department of the Economic and Integration Development of Ivano-Frankivsk has a department of energy conservation and ecology in its structure. On November 29, 2011 the city joined the flagship initiative of the European Union – the Covenant of Mayors (its signatories are committed to reduce own CO2 emissions by at least 20% by 2020, thus contributing to the development of environmentally-oriented economy and improved quality of life) and became one of the participants of the USAID Municipal Energy Reform Project in Ukraine. The Project assisted in the development the Municipal Energy Planfor 2012-2016. This document is a component of a strategic plan for the city in the areas of energy efficiency and conservation approved by the City Council on December 6, 2012.
In 2014, after signing the corresponding Memorandum on Cooperation the city began its work with the USAID Project Municipal energy reform in Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as ‘the USAID Project’). The Memorandum specified four main areas of activities in energy efficiency of the city and in raising funds to finance the appropriate measures:
1) support of the strategic plan for sustainable energy development (SEAP);
2) Improvement of the energy management system;