On August 31, in Kherson there started the second session of the 4-th Cleaner Production Program. This Norwegian — Ukrainian project became a reality with the assistance of the Norwegian Association of Chartered Engineers TEKNA, Kherson Municipal Executive Committee, Kherson  Regional State Administration and KhersonChamber of Commerce and Industry. 

The Cleaner Production Program focuses businessmen's attention on the economic benefits of compliance with environmental regulations. Minimizing waste generation in industrial process, the manufacturer saves some resources (raw materials, time, energy, personnel, etc.) and save expenses not only for waste management, but also for the process of production itself.

Participants of the Program – the staff members of Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and  Central Heating and Power Plant of the Kherson city – presented the first results of their assignment in training, received recommendations about the detailed analysis of projects on environmental, economic, technological parameters.

Norwegian experts have also focused their attention on the calculation of economic viability of the project and terms of return on investment, on the methods and sources of funding.
The participants formed some working groups and learned in practice to assess and compare the economic balance of projects, selecting the most cost-effective option.

Students were allowed to present and discuss their own environmental projects. Part of the proposed innovations concerned the purification and recycling of waste waters, improving water supply systems, as well as preventing water leakage. Experts from Muzykovka proposed their own vision for improving the work of water supply system, too. Kherson Central Heating and Power Plant filed developments in addressing the problem of building's energy-savings.

Taking into account the exceptional economic and environmental importance of these issues, all of the presented projects were carefully and thoroughly analyzed by the Norwegian experts and other listeners.

A wide range of proposed ideas was highly appreciated by the Norwegian side, which confirmed its readiness to develop economic ties with Kherson enterprises, to share experience of implementing environmental approaches in industry and municipal sector. A presentation of the experience of the Moscow water treatment plant in the field of water purification was shown to students as an example of successful application of new technologies and development.

Kherson professionals were able to get acquainted with this project due to the combined efforts of the Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant, Kherson Municipal Executive Committee and KhersonChamber of Commerce and Industry, which visited Moscow colleagues in the summer of 2010.

The next, third session of the Cleaner Production Program, in which participants will show a presentation of the economic balance of their projects, will take place in October, 19-21.