• Review of EEA and Norway Grants support to Greenhouse Gases Reduction
Altogether 164 projects amounting to €114,6 million in support contribute towards the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions. 93 of these projects, amounting to almost 60% of the total funding, are in Poland, while 17 projects are in Hungary, 12 in Slovakia and 10 in the Czech Republic. There are no greenhouse gases reduction projects in Lithuania or Portugal.
The overwhelming majority (142) of the projects target renewable energy, energy efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gases, 12 projects centre on waste management, and 10 are found within other focus areas. 152 projects are "hard" infrastructure projects.
The review finds that projects are strongly aligned with national environmental priorities, and represent a cost efficient contribution towards the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases. Furthermore, the EEA and Norway Grants support addresses a funding gap. The greenhouse gases reduction projects are expected to create between 875 and 1750 jobs.
The report sees a role for the EEA and Norway Grants in this sector also in the future, and recommends focusing efforts on energy efficiency and change of heating systems in public buildings in Central Europe where needs and potential are enormous and available resources are limited.
A highlighted project within this area is the renovation of the social assistance house in Stegna, Poland, where CO2 emissions have been reduced by 100% thanks to energy insulation measures and provision of renewable energy, and residents now enjoy an improved indoor living climate.
A project which is highlighted for its particularly strong impact concerns the installation of new feeding lines in the rotary kilns of the Kunda Nordic cement factory in Kunda, Estonia. The new feeding lines allow for using waste as fuel instead of highly polluting oil-shale. This project alone accounts for 42% of the total reduction in CO2 emissions supported by the EEA and Norway Grants, with a price of only €3/tonne. Learn more about the project here.
The review of the EEA and Norway Grants support to greenhouse gases reduction has been carried out by COWI.