Photovoltaic facility to be built in Sporovsky reserve in 2014

A photovoltaic power plant will be built on the territory of Sporovsky Nature Reserve in 2014, BelTA learnt from director of the reserve, chairman of the board of the local environmental fund, Brest Oblast Reserves, Vadim Protasevich.

The relevant agreement was signed between the GEF Small Grants Programme and the local environmental fund, Brest Oblast Reserves, at the Belarusian UNDP representative office on 9 January 2014. Under the document, financing will target the project on green reinvestment mechanism promotion in the Republic of Belarus at the example of nature reserves of Brest Oblast and the mitigation of negative consequences of the climate change through generation and sale of eco-friendly electricity. The cost of the project stands at $243,000. An estimated $149,000 will be allocated by international donors.

The project envisages the construction of a photovoltaic power plant to produce solar energy for sales. Proceeds will be used for nature protection purposes. “According to the preliminary estimates, the 100kW plant will earn about Br30 million a month. Nature reserves will use these extra funds to address environment-oriented issues,” Vadim Protasevich said.

The designing of the facility is underway. It is expected that construction works will be launched in late January. The power plant will be commissioned in 2014.

Apart from that, a training center on biological resources and alternative energy will be opened at Sporovsky Nature Reserve as part of the project.

Local environmental fund, Brest Oblast Reserves, was founded by all nature reserves of Brest Oblast in 2012. Among them is Sporovsky Nature Reserve, Zvanets Landscape Reserve, Pribuzhskoye Polesie Reserve, Vygonoschanskoye Landscape Reserve, and Middle Pripyat Landscape Reserve.