NEFCO: Pivdennoukrainsk sewage pumping stations to draw 94% less electricity from the grid

Solar panels installed on the roof of a high-rise building in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

The Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) estimates that, following the refurbishment, the two sewage pumping stations in Pivdennoukrainsk will consume approximately 94 per cent less electricity from the external grid.

This is reported in an article by NikVesti entitled «Fewer breakdowns and less reliance on the grid: how Pivdennoukrainsk plans to modernise its sewerage system with Danish funding».

The article estimates that annual electricity consumption from the grid will fall from the current 1,512 to approximately 90 megawatt-hours.

«It is expected that, thanks to modern equipment, solar power generation and energy storage systems, electricity consumption from the grid will be reduced by approximately 94 per cent,» NEFCO noted.

This does not mean that the pumps will require 94 per cent less energy to operate. According to the corporation, the stations will draw less electricity from the grid because part of their needs will be met by their own solar panels.

However, the amount of electricity to be generated by the solar panels has yet to be calculated, according to the municipal utility «Heat Supply and Water and Sewerage Services».

«The exact amount of electricity generated by the solar panels will be determined during the project design phase,» the response stated.

They forecast a 31 per cent reduction in electricity consumption — down to 1,043 megawatt-hours per year.

It should be recalled that Pivdennoukrainsk was previously unable to sign a grant agreement during the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 in Gdańsk, Poland, as the city council had not held any sessions for almost half a year and had not managed to pass the necessary resolution.

City Council Secretary Denys Kravchenko, whilst Mayor Valerii Onufriienko was on sick leave, signed an order convening a session via videoconference for 16 June, even though the deadline for approving the NEFCO agreement was 15 June.

As a result, the city faced the risk of losing €5.2 million in grant funding. Following negotiations with representatives of NEFCO and the then head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, the international partner agreed to extend the deadline for the city council to make a decision.

NikVesti had previously reported that, once the city council had completed all the necessary legal procedures, the parties would be able to proceed directly to signing the grant agreement.

In early July, almost half a year later, councillors of the Pivdennoukrainsk City Council convened for a session and endorsed the decision to sign a grant agreement with the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) to fund the reconstruction of the city’s drainage system.