The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending 10 million EUR to Ternopilelectrotrans, a municipal public transport operator in the city of Ternopil, an economic centre in western Ukraine. The loan will enhance the resilience and efficiency of the city’s electric public transport infrastructure, reducing emissions while supporting both citizens and nearly 30,000 displaced people who have moved to Ternopil as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The loan will be co-financed by a 4 million EUR investment grant from Canada through the EBRD’s High-Impact Partnership on Climate Action (HIPCA) and backed by a 25 percent guarantee from Spain. The city will contribute at least 1 million EUR in equity from the borrower.
In this framework, Italy, through the CEI Fund at the EBRD is financing a technical assistance amounting to 370,000 EUR to support the city of Ternopil by providing international best practice in the field of project management, including procurement of works, goods and services.
Overall, the investment project will help Ternopilelectrotrans replace its outdated fleet with up to 39 new energy-efficient, low-floor vehicles, along with maintenance and diagnostic equipment, and improve the rolling stock’s electricity supply by modernising a substation. The upgrade will cut annual emissions by 7,570 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, 1.2 tonnes of nitrous oxides and 0.12 tonnes of particulate matter.
Russian attacks have repeatedly interrupted municipal services in Ukrainian cities such as Ternopil. The project addresses the heightened need for safe, accessible public transport, especially for the vulnerable. Ternopil is currently home to thousands of internally displaced people, mostly women with children or elderly relatives. The surveillance cameras installed in all new trolleybuses will enhance the safety of passengers, particularly women and children who are at a higher risk of gender-based violence and harassment.
For more info: dovier@cei.int