ENERGY EFFIC & RENEWABLES BARCELONA

The project will consist of (a) the installation and operation of photovoltaic (PV) equipment on the roofs of public buildings and on municipal land; and (b) equipment to increase energy efficiency in street and traffic lighting and in public buildings, including installation of solar water heaters. Concerning PV, the electricity potential of electricity production is estimated at 720 GWh/year for the whole Province in public buildings and public land. This corresponds to a capacity of 530 MWp. Concerning energy efficiency projects, the operation will initially focus on street and traffic lighting. The associated energy savings are estimated at 270 and 10 GWh/year respectively. This operation will cover part of the investments in these areas in the period 2009-2011.

The development of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects supports national and European targets in these two areas and thus supports climate change and security of energy supply objectives of the EU. In particular, the project contributes to the objectives of the Covenant of Mayors initiative of the Commission, as over 60 municipalities of the Barcelona province have joined the Covenant. These municipalities have committed to reduce GHG emission by over 20% by 2020.

This operation intends to bring environmental benefits by supporting projects that help to mitigate climate change. The individual schemes to be financed are likely to be small and are expected to have limited environmental impacts. However, some of the larger, green field schemes might well be categorized as Annex II-type projects under the EIA Directive, and would require a review by the competent authority to determine the need for an environmental impact assessment. The Bank will assess the promoter’s capacity and procedures to ensure compliance with national and European environmental and biodiversity regulations as well as its capacity to support the Bank's Public Disclosure Policy, which aims at facilitating access by the public to environmentally relevant information.

The Bank will review systems and procedures applied by the promoter during appraisal, including compliance with relevant national and EU legislation, as defined by Procurement Directive 2004/17/EC, and publication in the Official Journal of the EU where appropriate.