November 20 (SeeNews) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on Friday it granted 5.0 million euro ($7.4 million) to boost energy savings and efficiency of public buildings in Bulgaria.
The government plans to reduce the energy consumption at Bulgaria's approximately 6,000 municipal or state-owned buildings with an area of more than 1,000 square metres each by up to 50% by 2015 and the necessary investments in insulation, refurbishments and heating controls are estimated to cost 250 million euro, the EBRD said.
The 5.0 milion euro grant will be provided through the EBRD-administered Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund (KIDSF). The grant will support the programme preparation, finance marketing efforts and provide training and advisory support.
KIDSF was established in 2001 to support projects for restructuring and upgrades in Bulgaria's energy sector, thus compensating the country for the decommissioning of two pairs of reactors at its sole nuclear power plant Kozloduy.
($ = 0.674 euro)