During COP28 Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Ukraine’s Ministry for Restoration announced an agreement on a €20 million grant to support the development of renewable energy in Ukrainian communities.
The grant envisions integration of renewables (solar power stations, heat pumps, and energy storage systems) in public buildings across Ukraine. Installation of renewable energy sources at local hospitals, water utilities, schools and kindergartens will serve as an exemplary model of the country’s green reconstruction, ensuring the continuous operation of critical public buildings even during power outages in the event of new Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure.
This initiative aims to enhance the energy independence and resilience of Ukrainian communities. The grant is being provided by the IKI to EIB Global’s IKI Fund, which was set up in partnership with the German Government to foster green investments.
Ecoaction sincerely welcomes this initiative as a new powerful impulse in the reconstruction and energy transition of our country. Local communities play a pivotal role in Ukraine’s recovery, and distributed renewable energy generation will contribute to increased energy resilience and security for the local population.
This step is significant not only for Ukraine but also in the context of global efforts to combat climate change. Also at COP28 118 countries, including Ukraine, signed the Global Pledge on Renewables and Energy Efficiency. This agreement calls for tripling the world’s installed renewable energy generation capacity and doubling the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
“The grant announced by the German government and the EIB reflects the goals of this global initiative, as support for renewable energy and energy efficiency in Ukraine is a crucial step towards energy security. It also demonstrates the willingness of global leaders to assist specific countries in their endeavors to achieve sustainable development and reduce dependence on fossil fuels,” says Ecoaction’s energy policy expert Daryna Yaroshovets.
Ukrainian communities, in turn, are also interested in the development of renewable energy and see its many advantages. Recently, representatives of 50 communities called on the U.S. government to include renewable energy equipment in emergency aid packages. In a recent call for applications for a project where Ecoaction together with other NGOs will be installing renewable energy sources in communities, 634 projects were submitted.