News
The update on EECI was presented by Jas Singh, Ranjan Bose, and Feng Liu, ESMAP Senior Energy Specialists. In addition, a presentation was made by a beneficiary of the program, Architect Abdel Mughni Nofal, Director General of the Municipal Development and Lending Fund (MDTF) in the West Bank.
The EECI team underscored the importance of energy efficiency for cities, noting that it offers practical solutions to cities to meet their energy needs without sacrificing socioeconomic development priorities. Energy efficiency also lowers a city’s fuel imports and energy costs while creating fiscal space for service improvement and expansion. The team reiterated that most cities have constrained budgets and limited technical and institutional capacity. Therefore, escalating energy demand puts pressures on costs, service quality, access and the environment across all sectors - buildings, public lighting, water, solid waste, transport, and heating. To address this shortfall, Jas Singh said cities can start with energy system retrofits in existing public facilities and fleets for which it has control. Thereafter, cities can implement policies and programs in non-public facilities, for example, to promote broader “green” transportation and commercial buildings, plus integration of energy considerations in land use planning and urban development.
Ranjan Bose enumerated the preliminary design and field testing of the newly commissioned Rapid Assessment Framework (RAF), a city energy diagnostic tool designed to evaluate energy use and recommend actions cities can take to save energy. He also shared the recent publications produced by EECI, including Public Procurement of Energy Efficiency Services: Lessons from International Experience and Energy Efficient Cities: Assessment Tools and Benchmarking Practices. Feng Liu highlighted the urban project development support component of EECI, which has helped incorporate energy efficiency considerations in five World Bank urban investment projects in China, the West Bank, Armenia and Ukraine, leveraging almost US$100 million. In addition, he elaborated on global partnerships EECI has fostered both inside and outside the World Bank, and outreach activities to share experiences and knowledge with cities and partners, such as regional practitioners’ workshops, the city project database, and the city energy efficiency awards.
The Director General of the West Bank MDTF, Abdel Mughni Nofal then attested to benefits of EECI interventions in providing 74 percent of Palestine’s population with key sector services, such as water supply and street lighting. Over 130 Palestinian municipalities face severe budget constraints, high electricity tariffs, and limited energy efficiency expertise. ESMAP helped the MDTF to design an energy efficiency pilot program in street lighting, water pumps, and public buildings to improve financial stability in four selected Palestinian municipalities – Hebron, Qalqilia, Jericho, and Anabta. He said that the pilot program would reduce energy consumption in each of the three sectors by about 30 percent, leading to a 40 percent reduction of total operation and maintenance costs. He also mentioned EECI’s support would generate momentum to energy efficiency initiatives in other Palestinian municipalities.
Contact
Jas Singh, Feng Liu, Ranjan Bose, Senior Energy Specialists, ESMAP
Related Links