The EU bank is providing a €50 million loan to AMB enabling a €100 million investment in the refurbishment of around 10,000 housing units located in deprived districts. It is estimated that between 25,000 and 30,000 people will benefit from this initiative
The agreement was signed in Barcelona by EIB Vice-President Emma Navarro and AMB’s Executive Vice-President, Antonio Balmón Arévalo.
This agreement will enable AMB, together with the metropolitan municipalities and the Metropolitan Housing Consortium (CMH), to generate credit lines tailored to the different socioeconomic realities that contribute effectively to the implementation of the refurbishment schemes.
AMB, the metropolitan municipalities and the CMH will drive, develop and manage the schemes in agreement with the different communities of homeowners.
When signing the agreement, EIB Vice-President Emma Navarro drew attention to “the agreement’s positive impact on the lives of a great many people, who will be able to access finance on highly favorable terms to refurbish their homes and improve their quality of life. Ultimately this is a very good example of one of the EIB’s top priorities in Spain: supporting urban regeneration by fostering efficient energy use and reducing pollutant emissions.”
AMB’s Executive Vice-President, Antonio Balmón, added that, “AMB is planning to take the lead in an innovative project designed to facilitate the refurbishment of buildings and housing to increase their comfort and liveability, resulting in housing with a better quality of life. Ultimately, we want to rethink and improve the city from housing upwards.”
The EIB is financing this project under the Smart Finance for Smart Buildings initiative, which it is promoting alongside the European Commission to provide the necessary financing to support investments in improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Once implemented, this project will enable energy savings of over 20,500 MWh a year. At the same time, it will have a positive impact on employment, helping to create more than 1,000 jobs in the implementation phase up to 2024.
