The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was considering financing a new combined heat and power plant (“CHP”) to supply electricity and heat to a number of residential, healthcare and education facilities in Rijeka—the third-largest city in Croatia.
With a planned capacity of 20MWt and 3MWe, the electricity produced in this plant will be sold to the national grid operator and heating or cooling to the University of Rijeka Campus, the City of Rijeka General Hospital as well as a number of residential buildings.
As part of the EBRD’s consideration of a finance loan, we have been appointed to undertake environmental and social analysis of the Energo d.o.o Rijeka Company; an utility company incorporated in Rijeka which provides public services such as gas distribution, district heating and street lighting.
Improving the benefits for the city
We undertook an audit to determine the company’s environmental compliance status, including a review of corporate procedures and visits to the site of the new CHP plant. We produced an Environmental and Social Action Plan which set out the additional measures required to ensure compliance of the project with EBRD’s performance requirements alongside a Stakeholder Engagement Plan.
The modernisation of this infrastructure is expected to bring environmental and social benefits and the overall improvement in the quality of heating and hot water services, energy efficiency, reduction in fuel consumption and heat and water losses, and lower air emissions.
