Sustainable Energy Scale-Up Project

The objective of the Sustainable Energy Scale-Up Project for the Republic of Belarus is to sale up efficient energy use in space heating of multi-apartment buildings and renewable wood biomass utilization for heating in selected localities in Belarus. The project has three components. A) Renewable Wood Biomass Heating component will support fuel switching to renewable biomass and efficiency improvement of heating systems in selected localities through biomass heating investments: including, inter alia, construction and rehabilitation of boiler plants, installation of new wood-biomass heat networks, installation of individual heat substations and operational monitoring and control systems, and development of local sites for wood fuel preparation. B) Thermal Renovation of Multiapartment Building component will support the implementation of the program for thermal renovation of MABs by piloting a partially payable grant scheme tin two oblasts selected by the government and the Bank. For the pilot of the proposed partially repayable grant scheme IBRD and EIB loan proceeds will be used to pre-finance the full cost of thermal renovation projects. Homeowners of participating MABs (determined by more than two-thirds of the homeowners in a MAB voting in favor of the investment) are obliged to repay a pre-determined portion of the full cost of thermal renovation through installments for up to 15 years. C) Technical Assistance and Implementation Support component will provide technical assistance to the thermal renovation pilot and the thermal renovation program, as well as for overall project implementation support.