Finland and Nefco launch a nearly-zero energy building project to replace a war-damaged school close to Kyiv in Ukraine

The project is funded by Finland through the Green Recovery Programme for Ukraine and implemented by the Nordic Green Bank Nefco. This marks Finland’s first investment in Ukraine through Nefco since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion and Nefco’s first involvement in a nearly-zero energy building (NZEB) project in Ukraine.

A new nearly-zero energy building (NZEB) will replace two war-damaged school buildings in Mykulychi, a village in Nemishaeve in the Western part of the Kyiv region. As both buildings were damaged by Russian missile strikes in February-March 2022, children from Mykulychi have been relocated to schools in nearby villages and cities. The new NZEB school will not only restore local education facilities but also provide an energy-efficient learning environment for students, including internally displaced persons and those with disabilities.

The project is funded by Finland through the Nefco Green Recovery Programme for Ukraine and implemented by Nefco. In December 2022, Finland announced a contribution of EUR 5 million to the programme, underscoring its support for education and energy-efficiency modernisations as key priorities in Ukraine’s reconstruction.

“Finland supports the repair and reconstruction of school buildings destroyed in Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. We finance projects to reinvigorate the country’s education sector and promote the wider provision of school meals. By working together with Nefco on concrete actions, we are helping to rebuild municipal infrastructure,” says Ville Tavio, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development.

“The cnstruction of this nearly-zero energy building in Mykulychi presents Ukraine with a significant opportunity to make a leap forward technologically and adopt best practices, while fostering a resilient and carbon-neutral economy. The project will adhere to Nordic and EU standards, with the potential for replication in other Ukrainian cities,” says Trond Moe, Managing Director of Nefco.

Eco-friendly and energy-efficient spaces for 200 schoolchildren

The new school building will be based on a modular prefabricated timber frame and provide space for some 200 school children in primary and secondary years 1–9. Wood is a renewable and sustainable building material.

Technical energy-efficiency measures and on-site renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, have been designed based on a report by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland commissioned under the Finland-Ukraine Trust Fund. The project aim is that over 38% of the energy required will be sourced from renewables.

The building frame will consist of prefabricated timber elements. Prefabrication will minimise on-site construction work and result in higher quality, as manufacturing will be done under controlled factory conditions. The building is to be equipped with solar photovoltaic panels for supplementary and backup electricity.

Before the full-scale war, in 2016, Finland financed a prefabricated timber school in Antonivka, Kherson region, under the Nordic Initiative for Energy Efficiency and Humanitarian Support, administered by Nefco. Last weekend it was reported that the school in Kherson was destroyed by Russian missile strikes.

Correction 20 August 2024: link for the Green Recovery Program