Iasi to upgrade public buildings with EBRD loan

EBRD loan of up to €20.5 million to help Iasi upgrade 15 buildings and bus and tram depot Project expected to result in energy savings of around 34 per cent Financing is part of EBRD Green Cities, Bank’s flagship urban sustainability programme   One of Romania’s largest cities, Iasi, will improve the energy efficiency of public buildings thanks to a €20.5 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).     In Iasi, the energy consumption of public and commercial buildings, and the emissions from buses, trucks and other vehicles together account for around 67 per cent of the city’s annual emissions of nitrogen oxides, which are responsible for air pollution. The project presents significant potential for energy savings. The EBRD loan will finance the energy efficiency upgrading of 15 public buildings and the reconstruction of a bus and tram depot, designed and equipped for a new urban transport fleet that currently includes 32 trams and 44 electric buses.   The depot infrastructure will support low-carbon transport in the city and enable the operation and maintenance of the current and future urban transport fleets. The renovation of buildings and the integration of energy-efficiency and renewable-energy measures in the upgraded depot will lead to energy savings of approximately 34 per cent.   The project is part of Iasi’s commitment to improving the environment under the EBRD’s flagship urban sustainability programme, EBRD Green Cities. The programme, which Iasi joined last summer, was created to offer cities tangible support to improve the quality of life of their residents.   This is the 54th project under EBRD Green Cities and serves as Iasi’s trigger project to formally initiate the city’s participation in the programme. In tandem with the project, Iasi will develop a Green City Action Plan (GCAP) that will prioritise local environmental challenges and identify further investment and policy actions to promote the city’s sustainable development. The GCAP for Iasi will be funded by the TaiwanBusiness-EBRD Technical Cooperation Fund.   Iasi is one of three Romanian cities that are part of EBRD Green Cities, alongside Craiova and Medias. To date, the EBRD has signed €9.3 billion in more than 470 projects in Romania.