The World Bank will allocate Belarus $90 million for a new project in energy efficiency and energy saving. The project envisages reconstruction of boilers operating on biomass, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Standardization, Director of the Department for Energy Efficiency Sergei Semashko told media on 28 May.

One of the ways to save fuel and energy resources in Belarus is to use local fuels, and biomass in the first place. “The issue is to modernize boilers to reach the maximum utilization factorto from burning biomass,” Sergei Semashko said.

Support in energy efficiency and energy saving in Belarus is provided by the World Bank. “The implementation of one project is underway. We have agreed on another project estimated at $90 million, which envisages reconstruction of boilers working on biomass,” he said.

Sergei Semashko informed that in Q1 2013 energy intensity reduced by 12% across the country.

Economy Minister Nikolai Snopkov stressed at the meeting of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers on 28 May that the Department for Energy Efficiency is working to optimize energy consumption in the power-consuming industries, compile a list of rate setting techniques, establish updated norms of fuel and power consumption so as to reach a 15% reduction in their consumption by 2015.

According to the national energy saving program, fuel and energy saving should make up to 1.8 million tonnes of fuel equivalent. In Q1 2013 fuel and energy saving made up 435,000 tonnes of fuel equivalent. The main areas for energy saving were introduction of modern energy efficiency technology and equipment, mainstreaming of heat supplies, an increase in the use of local fuels.

BELTA