Prague wants to give CZK 230 billion for green measures by 2030
The capital should invest 230 billion crowns in measures by 2030 if it wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, meet its commitment to reduce the metropolis’ carbon footprint by 45 percent. This follows from the draft climate strategy of the city, which should be approved by the city management in the near future and which is available to ČTK. The document proposes a total of 69 measures, the city wants to get most of the necessary money from European funds.
Deputy Mayor Petr Hlubuček (STAN) said that he would like to present the document at the next meeting of the council on Monday and subsequently to the council at the end of May. “I think we are the leaders here in Prague,” he said, adding that while the Czech Republic had joined the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, a concrete plan at the national level was still lacking.
The strategy covers four basic areas. The first is sustainable energy, which includes energy savings in buildings, the installation of photovoltaic panels on roofs or the use of heat from wastewater for heating. The second area is sustainable mobility, which includes the purchase of electric buses for public transport or the completion of the metro. The third is the circular economy, which includes, for example, the construction of a biogas plant for food processing. The last pillar is adaptation to climate change, for example through planting greenery or better rainwater management.
According to the strategy, out of the total number of estimated costs of 230 billion crowns, the city should pay about 55 billion from its own resources, the rest should come from various European programs. According to Hlubuček, an annual investment of the city of between two and 2.5 billion crowns will be necessary, taking into account the savings that should arise from the measures. The deputy added that a number of measures – for example on buildings – concern investments that would still have to be made due to the necessary maintenance.
According to the deputy, green projects are now in the pipeline and the European Union wants to significantly subsidize them, in addition, they have the potential to modernize the economy and create jobs. “If we do not take this opportunity, we will lose the money we can achieve now,” says Hlubuček. He added that we consider it crucial in cooperation with the private sector, especially large energy companies. According to him, the idea that the city should do everything itself is a chimera.
Of the specific projects, the deputy mentioned, for example, the installation of photovoltaic panels on roofs, which the municipality plans to test in two apartment buildings in Černý Most. According to the energy manager of the capital Jaroslav Klusák, up to 30 electricity in the metropolis could be produced in this way in the future. Likewise, according to Hlubučka, up to 30 of the heat needed to heat the city could be obtained from wastewater. These are heated and heat can be recovered from them using heat exchangers.