Center for Energy Efficiency (CENEf)

Brief Description

CENEf is the leading Russian organization which, for over 20 years now, has been providing a wide range of consulting services in the development of energy efficiency policies, housing reform, power sector reform, energy demand projections, and mitigation of climate change to the Russian government, local governments, municipalities, international organizations, foreign agencies, international and foreign financial institutions, industrial plants and commercial firms.

CENEf is a non-profit, non-government organization founded in 1992 to promote energy efficiency and environmental protection in Russia.  CENEf was founded by: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory of Battelle Memorial Institute (USA), World Wildlife Fund (USA), and International Social and Ecological Union (Russia), to be one of six energy efficiency sister-centers established in transition economies; the other centers are located in Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and China.

CENEf has proved that an NGO is able to make a difference in the development and implementation of energy efficiency policies at the federal, regional, municipal, and enterprise levels.  CENEf is among few similar organizations, which survived through all transition years of instability in Russia.  For the first 20 years of its existence CENEf had been working in a country with a strong administrative control mentality and often in an unfavorable economic and institutional environment.  However, CENEf managed to “plant seeds of change”, and energy efficiency is no longer a meaningless term in Russia.  Many Russian regions adopted energy efficiency regulations and laws drafted by CENEf, and launched their energy efficiency policies and programs.

CENEf’s efforts in energy efficiency capacity building are internationally recognized.  Between 1992 and 2008, over 100 specialized energy efficiency institutions were founded throughout the country to develop and implement energy efficiency policies at the federal, regional, and municipal levels.  While CENEf founded some of them, it has provided guidance to many of them at the initial stage of their operation.  In 2000, Igor Bashmakov, CENEf Executive Director was awarded international Climate Technology Leadership Award for his contribution to the capacity building for energy efficiency policies in Russia and to honour his “accomplishments in establishing institutions throughout the Russian Federation specializing in energy efficiency, and in enhancing public education on energy and climate change”.

Quite a few other CENEf’s activities have got recognition at the international level.  For example, the project “Emergency assistance to meet minimal thermal comfort requirements in Magadan orphanages”, implemented under a contract with U.S. Agency for International Development, was recognized in 2000 as one of the best world 50 energy efficiency projects and got the “Best 50 – Energy Globe 2001” certificate.

CENEf is involved in the mitigation of climate change both at the international and national level.  Since 1998, Igor Bashmakov, CENEf Director, has been a member of the International Panel on Climate Change and participated in the development of the First, Third, and Fourth Assessment Reports, as well as of the “IPCC Synthesis Report to the TAR” (2001).

Regional coverage

CENEf is active in many Russia’s regions.  Many energy efficiency institutions were established, regional energy efficiency laws were put into force, and over 45 regional building codes were adopted with CENEf’s direct involvement and informational assistance.

CENEf has taken part in large international and local projects in Kazakhstan and Georgia, and in numerous international projects, workshops and seminars in many countries.

CLIENTS

CENEf is working with a wide range of clients, from the UN to small- and medium-size municipalities and industrial enterprises.  CENEf is well-known in the energy efficiency and climate policy community for its vast experience in the implementation of international projects in Russia financed by the UNEP, World Bank, IFC, GEF/UNDP, EBRD, USAID, TACIS, IEA, U.S. Department of Energy, Deutsche Energie Agentur, PNNL, Macarthur Foundation, The Alliance To Save Energy, NRCD, IIEC, Fraunhoffer Institut, British Petroleum, to name just a few.

CENEf’s experience in working with Russian organizations is also well recognized. Among them there are Russian federal agencies (RF Gosstroy, RF Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, RF Ministry of Industry and Energy, RAO EES Rossii), many regional, municipal, and private clients.

Activities

During the latest years, CENEf has been working on:

·         energy demand projections (for RAO EES Rossii, TACIS and British Petroleum projects).

·         implementation of institutional reforms in the housing sector (World Bank Community Social Infrastructure Project and World Bank Northern Restructuring Pilot Project; UNDP project “Russian Energy Efficiency Municipal Utility Services (REEMUS)”).

·         implementation of cost-effective technical solutions in many Russia’s regions and cities (development of energy efficiency programs, feasibility studies, and business plans with the total budget of over $US 1 billion for Russian regions and municipalities).

·         development of comprehensive energy efficiency programs for Russia’s regions (Orel oblast, Sakhalin oblast, Magadan oblast, Khanty-Mansiysky autonomous okrug; later several regions took CENEf’s format to develop their own programs).

·         development of institutional mechanisms for effective energy management in the public sector (World Bank Community Social Infrastructure project).

·         raising public awareness in energy efficiency and mitigation of climate change (over 100 workshops for UNEP, IEA/OECD, IPCC, U.S. EPA, World Bank, USAID, and ASE).

Staff

CENEf staff consists of 10 top-ranking Russian experts. Six of them have Ph. D’s in technical sciences and/or economics; seven have had professional training in the United States or West Europe.  All CENEf experts have taken part in large international projects in Russia, Georgia, or Kazakhstan.