Projects
Government Bodies
Flag Friday, 29 March 2024
All news
All news
Economy
30 May 2018, 19:57

Belarus, World Bank working towards heat modernization of residential buildings

MINSK, 30 May (BelTA) – For the sake of implementing energy-effective measures in residential properties a presidential decree has been drafted to stipulate sources to finance heat modernization, including borrowed money. The draft decree also stipulates a differentiated approach to determining the size of state support for implementing these measures. The information was released by Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Anatoly Kalinin as he met with World Bank Country Manager for Belarus Alex Kremer, the press service of the Belarusian government told BelTA.

The meeting focused on discussing a project for taking energy-effective measures with regard to the housing stock in Belarus. On behalf of the government Anatoly Kalinin thanked the World Bank for assistance with implementing investment projects relating to the most important spheres of the economy — power engineering and utilities.

Anatoly Kalinin remarked that Belarus is interested in improving the energy effectiveness of public buildings and residential ones. Reducing the consumption of heating energy in residential buildings with their high specific heat consumption (about 30 million m2 of residential area) is the primary task. The implementation of these measures will help save financial resources of citizens and the country as a whole later on.

Alex Kremer confirmed the need to take energy-effective measures in the housing stock of Belarus and the World Bank's readiness to co-finance these measures with assistance of other international financial organizations.

The deputy prime minister mentioned the need to raise the nation's awareness about various aspects of heat modernization of Belarusian homes first, including via mass media. Anatoly Kalinin was convinced that the success of these projects will depend on their presentation before the general public and on the effectiveness of demonstration projects. The World Bank country manager for Belarus backed the Belarusian initiative.

This is why Anatoly Kalinin and Alex Kremer agreed to organize an educational seminar abroad with assistance of the World Bank for ideology and public relations specialists of Belarusian government agencies, including oblast administrations, and for mass media specialists. The seminar will focus on organizing the information and awareness-raising campaign ahead of heat modernization taking into account the World Bank's experience, including in post-Soviet countries.

Anatoly Kalinin instructed the government agencies concerned to work with the World Bank in order to consider the possibility of raising money of the Global Environment Facility for a large-scale awareness-raising campaign in Belarus.

Anatoly Kalinin pointed out it is necessary to organize demonstration projects in every region, including the complex modernization of one or two apartment buildings with simultaneous major repair and energy-effective modernization to reduce their heat consumption by at least 50%. The demonstration projects need to be implemented using money of municipal administrations and resources of the World Bank. Owners of residential and non-residential premises will have to partially compensate for the costs involved.

Subscribe to us
Twitter
Recent news from Belarus