Polotsk has begun implementing the "20-20-20" strategy

May 31, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Polotsk has begun implementing the "20-20-20" strategy, the Polotsk Communal Unitary Enterprise of Housing and Communal Services informed a BELTA correspondent. 75 energy-saving lamps have been installed on the central avenue of the ancient city to replace outdated ones. The supplier of high-efficiency equipment was the "CKB" production and design enterprise of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. LED lamps differ from traditional ones by their long service life (up to 15 years) and high luminous efficiency. They will help save up to 30% of energy and, at the same time, do not contain harmful mercury-containing substances, are vibration-resistant, and are electrically and explosion-safe. The lighting replacement cost 42 thousand euros and was a pilot project of the sustainable energy development plan approved by the Polotsk City Executive Committee, which was developed within the framework of the European Union project "SURE: Sustainable Energy Development in Cities of the ENPI Region - Towards the Covenant of Mayors". Polotsk became the first city in Belarus to sign the Covenant of Mayors and join this global European initiative, thereby declaring its intention to achieve a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by at least 20% by 2020, increase the share of alternative energy sources to 20%, and improve energy efficiency by 20%. The replacement of lamps was the first step towards implementing the "20-20-20" strategy. At the end of June, Energy Days will be held in the city, aimed at involving as many residents as possible in energy saving. By the end of 2013, Polotsk plans to develop a sustainable urban mobility plan. It will connect bicycle paths, parking spaces, and interchanges into a single system, and define zones free of motor vehicle traffic to minimize environmental impact. The project "SURE: Sustainable Energy Development in Cities of the ENPI Region - Towards the Covenant of Mayors" is being implemented under the EU CIUDAD program. The project is designed for 30 months, and its budget is about 790 thousand euros. The project aims to promote sustainable energy development in two cities of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) - Polotsk and Salé (Morocco) - by joining the Covenant of Mayors and undertaking commitments to implement the EU strategy known as "20-20-20". The goal of the strategy is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20%, increase the share of alternative energy sources to 20%, and improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2020. Project partners include the administrations of the cities of Friedrichshafen (lead partner, Germany), Murcia (Spain), Salé (Morocco), Polotsk City Executive Committee (Belarus), and the Mediterranean Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (France).-0-