Lviv electric transport to receive energy storage systems for operation during power outages
Lviv is implementing a project worth €21 million that will allow city trams and trolleybuses to continue operating during prolonged power outages. To achieve this, traction substations and depots will be combined into a single electrical network and equipped with energy storage systems.
The relevant agreement was signed by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso, and Director of LCE "Lvivelectrotrans" Iryna Ivanishyn.
The total cost of the project will be €21 million. Of this amount, €13.5 million will be provided by the EBRD as financing, and another €7.5 million the city will receive as a grant.
The project provides for combining 20 traction substations and three depots of "Lvivelectrotrans" into a common energy system. In addition, energy storage units will be installed at the facilities.
According to city authorities' calculations, after the project is implemented, trams and trolleybuses will be able to operate autonomously for up to 7.5 hours even in the absence of external power supply.
This is of substantial practical importance for Lviv: more than 150,000 passengers use the city's electric transport daily. During large-scale power outages, the lack of power for traction infrastructure can lead to the stoppage of trams and trolleybuses.
The city administration expects the storage systems to help maintain the transport system's operation during critical periods and reduce its dependence on the state of the general power grid.
EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso called the project another element in enhancing the resilience of urban infrastructure. The bank continues to finance municipal enterprises in Lviv whose work is critical in wartime conditions.
Lviv has been cooperating with the EBRD since 2008. During this time, the city has attracted €217 million, of which €172 million was in loans and another €45 million in grant funding.
In total, the parties have launched 12 joint projects. Eight of them have already been completed, and four are ongoing. Among previous projects are the construction of the tram line to Sykhiv, the introduction of an electronic ticket, the development of biogas infrastructure, road repairs, and programs to support critical infrastructure during the war.
The new energy storage project is expected to become part of a broader program to increase the resilience of Lviv's municipal infrastructure to power supply disruptions.
