Ukraine

The Ukrainian government recognizes investing in energy efficiency (EE) as a pillar of its energy sector strategy for reducing reliance on imported natural gas, mitigating the financial and fiscal stresses of high energy costs, and supporting economic recovery and long-term growth. Major government initiatives have been or are being undertaken to scale up EE investments in industries and residential buildings, two of the largest final energy consumers. Efforts to support EE in the public sector also received a boost with the recent enactment of the energy service company (ESCO) law and amendments to the budget code to enable energy performance contracting. The municipal sector - which includes municipal buildings as well as municipal services such as public lighting, district heating, water and sanitation, solid waste, and public transportation - accounts for the lion’s share of final energy consumption in the public sector. Facilitating and scaling up municipal EE finance should be a key component of the government’s national EE support agenda. Creating a dedicated EE revolving fund (EERF) for the public sector - and focusing its initial efforts on financing EE renovation of municipal buildings - will fill a critical gap in municipal EE financing in Ukraine and help address perhaps the most pressing municipal EE investment needs of Ukrainian cities.