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Time in Yerevan: 11:07,   29 March 2024

UNDP in Armenia set to increase energy efficiency across the country

UNDP in Armenia set to increase energy efficiency across the country

YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. UNDP in Armenia has received a historic US$20 million grant from the Green Climate Fund to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs and CO2 emissions across the country, UNDP reported.

The grant is the first for the Europe and Central Asia Region, and second on energy efficiency worldwide.  

The funds will enable the project team to upgrade and insulate external walls, entrances, roofs, ceilings, floors and windows of around 6,000 family apartments and over 150 public buildings, including schools and kindergartens.

Historically, Armenia suffers from very poorly insulated housing stock. Most of its multi-apartment buildings, built half a decade ago, are products of a different time when energy prices were much lower and environmental concern was not an issue. The current high operational building costs put financial strain on the population and the public sector, including schools, hospitals and ministries. These financial resources could potentially be reinvested into other, more critical areas if energy costs are avoided.

Moreover, Armenia’s rural areas are at a high risk of energy insecurity. Houses built in rural areas are larger than their urban counterparts, if not also more exposed to harsher climatic conditions. Rural populations often depend on wood for heating, which increases pressure on local woodland areas.

This UNDP project aims to address energy efficiency issues of houses and public buildings, thereby reducing deforestation and energy consumption. Such interventions would have a real impact on Armenia's greenhouse gas emissions, and future risk of land degradation and landslides.

Speaking about the grant, Diana Harutyunyan, UNDP in Armenia’s Climate Change expert said: “This is one of the largest single investment our office has ever received. We are proud of what such a major investment will mean for the future of our country, as well as the example it will set globally.”

According to Harutyunyan, over a third of the country’s energy supply is generated through an ageing nuclear power plant. In the future, the plant is expected to go out of operation, which will increase the demand for energy and likely increase the use of firewood or gas, if not imported resources. All of these preferences would put a significant burden on the environment, worsening the effects of climate change.

The Green Climate Fund, or GCF, is the primary financial instrument of the Paris Agreement, as well as the largest and the most unique. It is targeted at both mitigation (reducing further greenhouse gas emissions), and adaption (adapting to the climactic changes that have already been caused.)

The Paris Agreement was reached last December, with world leaders agreeing on a plan to keep the world’s temperatures from rising beyond 2 degrees Celcius. It is expected that GCF’s resources will replenished and it will deliver around $100 billion US per year for assisting the corresponding policies and measures in developing countries.

 








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