Knowledge about renewable energy and energy efficiency in local administrations tends to be low in Southeast Europe, according to research carried out as part of the ENER SUPPLY project (Energy Efficiency Renewables – Supporting Policies at the Local Level for Energy), and the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is even worse than in neighbouring countries.
“The goal of the ENER SUPPLY project is to help employees of local administrations (municipalities and cantons) understand questions of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in the context of local development,” said Azrudin Husika, Director of the Regional Education and Information Centre (REIC) for Sustainable Development for Southeastern Europe.
Noting that Central Bosnia Canton (SBK) is included in this project, Mr Husika said the canton has considerable potential in renewable energy, and, compared to other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is well advanced in making the most of this potential.
“The level of utilisation that SBK has reached creates some problems that others don’t have, and we can help them overcome these problems,” Mr Husika said.
ENER SUPPLY is an international project that is being implemented in 11 countries of Central and Southeast Europe and each of the countries taking part has chosen one implementation area. In Bosnia and Herzegovina the project is worth 99,000 Euros, 85 percent of which is being financed by the European Union, while the remaining 15 percent is being provided by the REIC’s own sources.
The project is supported by the BiH Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations as it is part of a much broader European project for integral management of the coastal area, worth 100 Million US dollars.
According to the ministry’s Head of the Section for Environmental Protection, Senad Oprašić, the results of research undertaken as part of the ENER SUPPLY project will be incorporated in the document on integral management of the coastal area, which, once ratified, will be an internationally binding document for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
