First capacity development workshop for energy management improvement and increasing energy efficiency

On May 15 and 16, 2024, the Association for Water and Environmental Protection "Aquasan Network in BiH" held the first two-day workshop in Banja Luka as part of the D-LeaP Capacity Development Program for improving energy management and increasing energy efficiency in public utilities/ water companies (PUCs) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

The overall goal of this D-LeaP Capacity Development Program is to improve the knowledge, skills and abilities of the management and employees of PUCs on the way and possibilities of improving electricity management and increasing energy efficiency in order to reduce operational and financial costs and increase the overall sustainability of PUCs, which was made possible at the first of three workshops through:

• Identifying the range of cost-effective measures available to PUCs to achieve better energy efficiency results, taking into account behavioral and social factors
• Transferred knowledge on how to increase operational efficiency, reduce operational and production costs and improve the competitive position of PUCs
• Understanding how PUCs energy consumption relates to potential savings
• Improvement of the individual capacities of participants for the development and implementation of energy efficiency projects of PUCs.

At the end of the workshop, the participants were given tasks for independent work that will enable them to practically apply the knowledge and experience gained during the workshop, which they will work on with the support of trainers from the Aquasan network in BiH in the period until the next workshop, which is planned for June 2024.

11 PUCs from BiH applied to participate in the Program, and the program is subsidized by means of the Danube Water Program (DWP).