Author: Energy Cities, Jana Cicmanova; Thomas Garabetian

Category: European Investment Bank Finance Programme

Published/Created by: EIB Elena

This report is a review of ELENA-EIB projects implemented by five member cities by the Energy Cities. The ELENA programme set up by the European Commission and managed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) is the very first European technical assistance facility supporting large investment projects which is led by local authorities. As European technical assistance programmes can only support a limited number of beneficiaries, it is important that the latter share their knowledge and innovative solutions with other cities around Europe, thus increasing even more the impact of the EU funds. Energy Cities – the European association of cities in energy transition – therefore decided to review and disseminate innovative financial and organisational models that were developed and implemented by five of its members that are beneficiaries of such programmes. 

This document presents five case studies resulting from detailed interviews with project managers responsible for ELENA-EIB implementation in local authorities. The programmes are presented in this review in the chronological order of the signature of their ELENA project:

• Paris: retrofitting public school buildings through energy performance contracting (2010)
• Barcelona ELECTROBUS: retrofitting of buses into hybrid vehicles and redrawing of the city’s urban transport network (2011)
• Tramways in Skåne,with the cities of Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg: development of three tramway networks thanks to joint procurement and experience-sharing (2011)
• Bristol Retrofitting –Innovative Technologies for Everyone: establishment of a municipal energy company to transform the city’s energy sector (2012)
• Brussels-Capital VAMOS: mainstreaming renewable energy production in public housing projects (2012)

More info: https://www.eib.org/en/products/advising/elena/index.htm