The Task Force Meeting of the Joint CEI – RCC Regional Initiative on Sustainable Energy Development (SEDRI) in Belgrade on 24 November focused on the SEDRI Project Proposals Inventory.
Ministries and other institutions from participating countries - together with the support of the CEI and the RCC Secretariats - have elaborated a regional inventory of small-scale sustainable energy projects. The ten selected projects from seven countries will enable participants to cooperate, raise funds, exchange information and best-practices.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and of the Western Balkan Investment Framework (WBIF) who outlined potential support and procedures, with specific reference to already submitted projects. In this regard, the CEI Fund at the EBRD represents a valuable asset, especially for facilitating project preparation. SEDRI’s recent recognition as an example of a project in the Action Plan of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region has encouraged the CEI and RCC to further contribute to facilitating the implementation of bankable projects which would be replicated in participating countries. The small scale (5MW powered) sustainable energy project in the field of biomass, called CEI BIOM-ADRIA Programme, was also presented as an activity which could be repeated in SEDRI participating countries: the works on the site in Belgrade are expected to start in spring tahnks to a substantial grant offered by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). ***SEDRI (Sustainable Energy Development Regional Initiative) represents a coordination effort of the Central European Initiative (CEI) and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) for a joint action in the area of sustainable energy development in order to maximise the benefits for the participating countries. The Initiative is targeted towards both RCC and CEI Member States in South-East and Eastern Europe. The current participating countries are: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine. For more information: dovier@cei-es.org