The City of Prijedor is located in the north western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entity of Republika Srpska, on the banks of the Sana and Gomjenica rivers and on slopes of the Kozara mountain. Prijedor is a developed urban, commercial and industrial center. According to the latest census, the area has 80.916 inhabitants, organized in 49 local communities, of which the half makes the rural population.

In 2010, the City of Prijedor joined the European “Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy ”, targeting the reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, increasing the share of renewable energy use to 20%, and improving energy efficiency by 20 %, all compared to 1990 levels. However, the dynamics and the requirements in this particular area are growing continuously, and the City administration intends to maintain its proactive approach.

Environment is treated within the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan 2018-2030 (SECAP) of the City of Prijedor, as a key document of the Covenant of Mayors that presents the way in which local authorities will meet their commitments. SECAP is based on the Baseline Emission Inventory (BEI) and estimates risk and exposure (RVA-Risk and Vulnerability Assessment) which contain an analysis of the current situation. These elements serve as a basis for identifying a comprehensive set of actions that local authorities plan to take to achieve the goals of adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. The signatories also undertake to report on progress every two years. According to the proposed activities in the SECAP, the total energy savings in the building sector are planned in the amount of 163,410 MWh, of which 142,310 MWh would be saved by measures implemented in residential units (heating, replacement of roofs, use of solar panels, etc.), which would result in a reduction of CO2 emissions in the amount of 64,363 t. Improvement of energy efficiency through the installation of thermal insulation, replacement of carpentry, reconstruction of the roof are locally recognized priority measures. Taking into account the above, the City of Prijedor annually allocates an amount of 100k EUR to support the implementation of this measure. The allocation of funds is made through a public call based on previously established regulations. Beneficiaries of the project are the local households.

Biomass Heating district Prijedor

Heating district project

The European Bank for Regional Development has supported the construction of a new boiler and combined heat and power (CHP) plant fueled by locally sourced biomass, as well as the improvements to the heat distribution infrastructure and demand side measures to minimize consumption. The project was signed in December 2014 and included a EUR 7 million senior loan for the construction of the boiler and CHP plant and a EUR 2 million investment grant for co-financing of the plant and an investment package for distribution and demand side measures financed by the Swedish government.

Previously, all heat was provided by burning heavy fuel oil (also known as mazut) which has considerable negative environmental characteristics, both in terms of CO2 emissions and local air quality. The new biomass plant and associated network improvements substantially reduced the use of this polluting fuel. The plant was completed at the end of 2015 and is currently operating.