This week the Buildings Performance Institute Europe presented six investment criteria to drive a sustainable reconstruction of Ukraine’s heavily damaged built environment. The report calls on multilateral donors and the Ukrainian government to allocate funding to projects that meet ambitious energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate adaptation, and circularity criteria. The criteria is aligned to scenarios representing different levels of damage (minor, moderate and heavy).
The Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine has caused enormous damage on a multitude of levels. A recent assessment from the World Bank shows the massive extent to which the Ukrainian building stock has been affected by the war. For the housing sector alone, the total cost of the damage exceeds an estimated USD 55.9 billion, while more than USD 80.3 billion is needed for reconstruction.
Following the “build back better” principle, BPIE stresses that reconstruction that should strengthen the entire Ukrainian energy system. Reconstructing the Ukrainian building stock in alignment with existing EU buildings legislation will also support the country’s accession process to the EU, create an environment where people can thrive and attract people to return to their homes.
‘Discussing reconstruction of Ukraine amidst ongoing destruction is a signal of unwavering support and hope for peace,’ said Oliver Rapf, Executive Director at BPIE.
‘Multilateral donors and the government of Ukraine have a responsibility to ensure money flows towards building back better than before. It isn’t just about investment criteria to tick boxes, but about investing in the future of a free Ukraine.’
The ‘build back better’ principle, when applied to buildings, is aimed at accelerating the energy transition and the decarbonisation of the building stock after major disaster. Multiple EU member states, such as Croatia, Italy or Germany, after facing natural disasters, have based their recovery and reconstruction programmes on this principle, and designed strategies that include energy efficiency goals.
‘Green reconstruction is critical in view of Ukraine’s future integration into the EU,’ said Olena Pavlenko, President of Ukraine based think tank, DiXi Group.
‘It is also a significant component to enhance the Ukraine’s energy security, a matter of great relevance amidst the energy challenges posed by the war. Such recommendations will enable the incorporation of two essential elements – sustainability and security – into reconstruction projects.’
Multilateral donors are encouraged to allocate funds to projects that address the entire energy performance of buildings, taking the Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) standard as a benchmark. The Ukrainian government is also encouraged to accelerate implementation of the legal framework for energy efficiency and sustainable construction standards.
The report is available here.
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Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 