Client: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Dates: 2007 - 2011

Country of assignment: Ukraine

Description of actual services provided:

From November 2007 to September 2011 Encon implemented the USAID-sponsored project Alliance for the Development of Insurable Methane Emission Reduction Projects in Ukraine that was a part of the wider “Methane to markets” program. The goal of this project was to develop and fine-tune on methane-related projects a new, creative way to overcome the main barrier to many energy efficiency efforts – that is, lack of funds at the initial stages of implementation. The project proposed to remove this barrier by using assurance mechanisms (formal insurance policies or quasi-insurance constructs for risk transfer like options, hedging or other derivatives) that would allow investors, protected by such assurance, to make available some money to the project owner upfront rather than on COD basis, as is universally done now.

In addition, the Encon Team elaborated web-based approaches and information and developed calculators aimed to assist public-sector, private-sector, and other stakeholders with energy efficiency project development, implementation, and operation in Ukraine.