(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Trend
European bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is eager
to work with new eligible cities in the Karabakh region, and to
welcome them into EBRD Green Cities program, Kamola Makhmudova,
EBRD Country Head for Azerbaijan, told Trend in an exclusive interview.
“According to the initial reports shared by the Ministry of
Energy, the Karabakh region has a huge renewable energy potential –
around 3,000-4,000 MW of solar energy and 300-500 MW of wind
energy. This is encouraging for the renewable energy sector in the
country,” she said.
As the official explained, cities under the program need to
commit to improving their environmental performance and promoting
the transition to green, low-carbon and resilient futures.
“The key criterion for the cities is to commit to the
development and implementation of a Green City Action Plan (GCAP)
and launch a trigger investment project with the EBRD. In addition,
eligible cities need to have a population of at least 50,000
residents. If there was a relevant request, we could look at
potential opportunities on a project-by-project basis,” Makhmudova
added.
According to the country head, Ganja became the first city in
Azerbaijan to join EBRD Green Cities in March 2020. The first-ever
project was signed in May 2022 and concerned the solid waste
sector. The EBRD works with the Ganja city Executive Power, the
Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan and other government
organizations to develop pilot projects.
The EBRD has already allocated 10 million euros to improve the
solid waste collection services in Ganja city with modern and
energy-efficient vehicles, specialized containers and bins, digital
collection systems and other improvement works.
Currently, the EBRD plans to sign a new street lighting project
within the EBRD Green Cities program in Azerbaijan's Ganja city in
the upcoming months.
“As immediate next steps, we hope to sign the Ganja street
lighting project and start project preparation works for the
development of a modern, EU-compliant landfill near Ganja city,”
she said.
For the street lighting project, in addition to the EBRD loan,
the Bank has secured a 2.5 million euros investment grant from E5P
Fund, supported by the EU and other international donors, the
official noted.