The District Heating (DH) systems in Serbia’s cities and towns are, in most cases, the single largest user of imported natural gas. Due to its largely outdated and inefficient equipment, ineffective operation, and deferred/poor maintenance, DH systems offer ample opportunity for reduction of gas consumption, thus reducing dependency on gas primarily imported from Russia. The purpose of the Activity is to improve the efficiency of Serbian DH systems, focusing on decreasing the amount of fuel required to meet the needs of consumers. In order to achieve this purpose, the Activity will focus on identifying and facilitating those energy-related improvements that have the greatest potential impact on the efficiency of DH system operations, and which can be financed and implemented by the DH company using its own resources, bank loans, IFIs, or through an Energy Service Contracting (ESCO) or Public Private Partnership (PPP) mechanisms. The goal of the Activity is to reduce the gas fuel consumption and dependency on imported natural gas through improved energy efficiency in the provision of heating at the local level, through a 2-phase approach: Phase 1 – Identification/conceptualization of pilot projects, focusing on generation and distribution system improvement, end-use consumption by district heating customers, connection/reconnection of customers that can benefit from efficient district heat services, and management and operation of municipal district heating systems. This will be accomplished by a brief general overview of district heating systems in Serbia and identifying up to four candidate district heating systems which would be good candidates for potential pilot projects based on the agreed upon selection criteria.; Phase 2 – Implementation of pilot projects at up to four candidate district heating systems, which may include but are not limited to installation of equipment, development of data collection approach, and monitoring & reporting on results/impact.

E3I staff completed a Pre-Feasibility Study for Constanta Municipal Energy Efficiency Investment Program under the auspices of the Southeastern European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) program. The primary network was assessed for its capability to deliver sufficient heating to the substations and the end users. The hydraulic calculations of the primary system show that there is sufficient capacity, and after relatively small investment in circulating pumps and system balancing, all substations will have sufficient pressure and flow. E3I staff developed a commercially viable energy efficiency project that was designed to attract bank financing and meet the needs of the municipal authorities and other potential beneficiaries. E3I staff examined energy savings opportunities at district heating substations and schools. Study results recommended a package of energy efficiency measures and provided two sets of alternative financing and ownership structures for project implementation. Proposed measures cost US$10.4 million and provide an annual savings of US$ 3.0 million, which is a 3.5-year payback.

E3I staff, in association with the Scientific Engineering Centre "Biomass" Ltd. (SECB) in Kiev, and the Institute of Engineering Ecology in Kiev (IEE) – two of the leading environmental NGOs in Ukraine – and the Municipalities of Chernighiv and Simferopol in Ukraine, evaluated the feasibility of municipal landfill gas (LFG) recovery and utilization in each of these 2 municipalities (Simferopol and Chernighiv), and developed financeable business plans for both. E3I staff served as the lead project development team, with support from SECB. SECB served as the local project manager, responsible for coordinating all project activities within the country. IEE was responsible for monitoring and verification of GHG emission reductions.
Information collected for the both Chernigiv and Simferopol MSW landfills, based on site visits and records provided by each municipality, was used to estimate potential reserves and rate of LFG generation using the USEPA LandGem model - a first-order decay approach. Field data was collected from the installation of nested probes required for baro-pneumatic testing, and from pump tests at 10 wells drilled in each landfill. In addition to pressure measurement and pumps tests, gas composition, gas flow and temperature were also measured.
Based on the data collected, a cogeneration system based on a 1.4 MW Jenbacher engine was recommended for both sites - supplying electricity to the grid and thermal energy to adjacent boiler houses for heat supply to the local district heating network.