ESB International has won a European Union-funded contract worth £1.6 million (€2 million) to develop a national energy efficiency programme in Ukraine. The energy conservation project will be undertaken over a two-year period by ESB International in co-operation with a Spanish company. At present, energy efficiency levels in Ukraine are below average, while energy consumption per unit of GDP is more than twice the rate in western Europe. ESB International is an independent subsidiary of ESB which is involved in projects in about 35 countries worldwide.