Grants awarded for energy efficiency audits of 80 public buildings in Vojvodina

The government of the province of Vojvodina has awarded 20 municipalities with grants to conduct energy efficiency audits of 80 public buildings, mainly elementary schools and kindergartens, according to a press release from the government of the province of Vojvodina.

The grants are part of a EUR 100,000 project funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in July with the Secretariat for Energy, Construction, and Transportation of the provincial government.

Vojvodina Deputy Prime Minister Đorđe Milićević said the grants mark the beginning of years-long effort to conduct energy efficiency audits at all 3,000 public buildings in Vojvodina.

The grants were awarded for 42 educational institutions, 11 public administration buildings, 11 health facilities, five social care facilities, five cultural facilities, two spa and sports facilities, one bus station and one police station.

The project will be implemented in the municipalities of Apatin, Bač, Bačka Palanka, Bački Petrovac, Bela Crkva, Beočin, Vrčac, Vrbas, Zrenjanin, Irig, Kanjiža, Kula, Mali Iđoš, Novi Kneževac, Novi Sad, Pančevo, Senta, Srbobran, Subotica, and Šid.

Milićević said the project will enable energy savings, reduce environmental pollution, and provide greater comfort for users of these facilities. He noted that the provincial government has allocated RSD 1.2 billion (about EUR 12.8 million) over the past three years to improve the energy efficiency of public buildings in Vojvodina.

In April this year, the provincial government adopted the Declaration on Environmental Protection, which includes the end of coal and heating oil use in public buildings.