Ministry announces EUR 2.7 million public call for energy efficiency projects

The Ministry of Mining and Energy has announced a public call to allocate RSD 325 million (about EUR 2.7 million) from the budget fund for improving energy efficiency in 2019 to municipalities.

The application deadline is March 27.

Funds will be allocated under the program for financing energy efficiency activities and measures in 2019.

The goal of the public call is to improve energy efficiency and lower expenses in public buildings and to modernize the public lighting, which is under the jurisdiction of municipalities, the public call reads.

Projects eligible for the public call are:

• improvement of thermal systems in buildings;
• the modernization of interior lighting systems;
• the installation of solar collectors for the central preparation of hot water;
• the modernization of public lighting;
• the replacement of existing or installation of new systems for the central preparation of hot water.

A total of RSD 20 million (EUR 169,307) is dedicated to the modernization of public lighting. This kind of projects can receive up to 20% of the total value or a maximum of RSD 3 million (EUR 25,390).

Municipalities in underdeveloped areas can receive up to 100% of the project value, or up to RSD 30 million (EUR 253,907), and other municipalities up to 70% of the project value or up to RSD 25 million (EUR 211,602).

The public call criteria are:

• type of the energy efficiency measure;
• type of the public building;
• own participation in project financing expressed as a percentage;
• the level of the municipality’s development;
• the use of the budget fund over the last 3 years;
• the reduction of the installed capacity of the modernized part of public lighting for public lighting projects.

The budget fund for improving energy efficiency in 2019 is worth RSD 500 million (EUR 4.2 million), which, according to Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antić, is equal to the total amount in the previous 4 years.

In 2018, the budget fund was worth RSD 125 million (EUR 1.06 million) and was allocated to 14 local governments.