On 4 April 2023, the Cabinet approved the draft Regulation* developed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development regarding implementation of the measures to reduce air pollution by improving household heating systems. The draft Regulation provides for the launch of a grant programme financed by the European Union (EU) funds in the amount of EUR 12.44 million to reduce the negative impact of air pollution from heating installations in cities of Latvia.
The aim of the project is to reduce the negative impact of air pollution on the environment and human health by replacing combustion installation used for heating in the household sector, improving the efficiency of individual heating systems, introducing technologies that significantly reduce air pollution, including connecting houses to efficient urban centralised heating systems.
Thanks to these investments, the reduction of at least 50 tonnes of fine particulate pollution per year will be reached by the end of 2025.
These investments are included in the list of strategic measures under the EU Cohesion Policy Programme 2021 - 2027 by making an important contribution to achieving the Programme’s objectives.
Around 1200 households will be eligible for a grant of 50 - 95% of the EU funding, depending on the technologies provided for in the project for the replacement of the combustion installations used for heating of residential houses.
Funding of the EU funds for the replacement of heating installations in one- and two-flat houses where heating is ensured with solid biomass fuels and in small multi-apartment houses where heating is ensured with coal, peat or solid biomass fuels, connections to the centralised heating system will be supported, including the renovation, rebuilding or construction of heating and hot water distribution systems (if necessary), installation of a heat pump (air, water, ground) including an increase in the required capacity of the mains connection (if necessary), installation of wood biomass boilers suitable for pellet fuels. In addition to heat pumps and pellet boilers, it will also be possible to install solar panel systems (with connection to the electricity grid), and to completely renovate, rebuild or create heating systems with heating elements.
Projects can be submitted by owners of private houses and small multi-apartment buildings, natural persons and legal entities governed by private law, or their authorised representatives, where the heat demand of the building is up to 50 kW (buildings no larger than 8 - 12 apartments, two-storey or three-storey houses). The support is intended for commissioned houses (the building has been commissioned at least seven years before the date of submission of the project application and has been in continuous use for at least the last three years), including apartment property or apartment properties of apartment buildings, where it is not possible to invest in a single solution for a residential house. In addition, the dwelling house is required to have a total useful floor area of more than 50 m2 and to achieve a heating performance class E or more efficient.
Owners of dwellings from all Latvian cities will be able to apply for projects, at the same time the priority projects will be implemented in the territories of republic cities of Riga, Liepaja and Rezekne, where exceedances of air pollution limit thresholds have been detected (in conformity with the measures laid down in the Action Plan for the Air Pollution Reduction for 2020-2030).
Within the framework of the investment, the projects shall be implemented within 24 months, but no later than 31 December 2025. The selection and contracting of project applications will be carried out by the Central Finance and Contracting Agency.
*Rules for the implementation of the specific support objective 2.2.3 “To improve nature protection and biodiversity, green infrastructure, especially in urban areas, and reduce pollution” of the measure 2.2.3.6 “Implementation of measures to reduce air pollution by improving household heating systems” of European Union Cohesion Policy Programme 2021 - 2027
