| At the end of February, the Mariupol City Council and the USAID Municipal Energy Reform Project in Ukraine (USAID Project) conducted a joint press conference and announced the beginning of cooperation in the areas of energy efficiency, energy conservation and the implementation of clean energy projects. The City Council representatives told the journalists from 13 local and regional media, including 3 TV channels, about the key measures planned for implementation in the near future. According to Deputy Mayor Oleksandr Holtvenko, the USAID Project will conduct energy audits of 40 municipal objects (kindergartens, schools, hospitals) and will analyze the operation of their heat supply, water supply, sewage, lighting, and other systems. Also, standard multi-storey buildings in Mariupol will be inspected, their strengths and weaknesses will be identified, and recommendations on reducing energy consumption by the buildings will be developed together with the city energy managers. In addition, based on the energy audit results, the USAID Project will select and propose grant financing programs through which Mariupol will be able to implement the necessary energy efficiency measures and clean energy projects. The city will also receive support in introducing a comprehensive municipal energy management system. A wide-scale information campaign will be conducted for informing the city’s residents about the necessity and importance of implementing energy efficiency measures. |
