The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has provided a $5m loan to Ukraine-based Dniprovska Agri Group (DAG) to build a biomass boiler.

As well as being Ukraine’s leading poultry producer, family-owned DAG is also involved in the oilseed crushing business.

The new steam-based boiler will use poultry manure from the company’s farms to optimise its energy-supply mix and minimise operating costs.

The boiler will also have the capacity to process 12t of biomass an hour, reduce water consumption by 60% and help minimise natural gas usage.

The company anticipates that the new boiler will decrease annual CO₂ emissions by 9,300t when it becomes operational.

In addition to the loan, DAG will receive an $850,000 incentive grant through the EBRD’s Finance and Technology Transfer Centre for Climate Change (FINTECC) programme, which is supported by grant funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the EU’s Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF).