Romanian state-owned company Hidroelectrica is focused on the development of energy production projects exclusively from renewable sources, says Bogdan Badea, CEO of Hidroelectrica. He talked to Green Forum about its plans for this year regarding sustainability and the social responsibility projects that the company is involved in.
The city of Oradea will have a photovoltaic park with over 15,000 panels. More than €16 million from European funds will be invested in this sustainable project. The photovoltaic park will be able to be managed remotely.
Renewable energy sources could reach a share of approximately 34% in 2030. Europe has assumed that by 2050 it will become the first climate-neutral continent.
The largest wind farm in Romania will be built in Galati County on land from 13 localities. The investment amounts to half a billion euros. The wind farm will be built on an area of approximately 13,000 hectares.
Investments in renewable energy technologies reached a record of $1.3 trillion last year, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. The world needs around $35 trillion for transition technology by 2030, says IRENA. Renewable energy deployment must grow from around 3,000 GW annually today to over 10,000 GW in 2030.
The manufacturer of paving stones and curbs Symmetrica will invest, until the end of this year, more than €6 million in the development of photovoltaic panel parks in 8 of its factories. The company will thus ensure a large part of its own consumption. Photovoltaic parks will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 270,000 kg per year.
Over 80% of Kaufland's suppliers are from Romania, and this percentage is growing year by year, says Valer Hancaș, Director of Communication and Corporate Affairs, Kaufland Romania.
Schneider Electric is investing €40 million in a new smart factory in Hungary. The factory will be net zero. Geothermal energy and rooftop solar will power the site, and Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure energy management solutions will maximize its energy efficiency.
The Iasi airport will have a new passenger terminal at the end of 2023, its construction having started in the fall of 2022. It will have solar panels installed, in order to save on energy consumption. The works at the new terminal are carried out by Strabag.
The towns of Sântana and Pecica in Arad County are implementing geothermal resources exploitation projects for heating public institutions. The city of Santana obtained European funding of RON27.5 million (€5.5 million) to complete the drilling and the thermal network.
Electrica bought the company Sunwind Energy, which develops the photovoltaic project "Satu Mare 2", with an installed capacity of 27 MW. The project is located near Botiz commune, Satu Mare county. Also, on February 6, 2023, Electrica announced the completion of the acquisition of the company Green Energy Consultancy & Investments, which develops the "Vulturu" photovoltaic project.
Enel Green Power has started work on the construction of a photovoltaic plant with a capacity of approximately 170 MW, which will be the largest solar plant in Italy. The installation will be based on bifacial photovoltaic modules - with a technology that allows the absorption of solar energy on both the front and back surfaces. This agrivoltaic solar farm will be built in an area owned by a local company that will be working with Enel Green Power on integrating agricultural activities at the plant.
Iulius Group installed photovoltaic panels on all the properties in its portfolio and will produce 5,500 MWh annually across the group. The total investment adds up to more than €3.5 million.
The European Commission approves a scheme of Romania worth €103 million, within the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, to support the construction of electricity storage facilities. The purpose of this measure is to support investments in electricity storage facilities, thus contributing to the EU's strategic objectives related to the green transition.
Global renewable energy capacity amounts to 3,372 gigawatts (GW) at the end of last year, some 295 GW or 9.6% higher than the previous year. The International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) expects an increase in the number of employees in the renewable energy sector up to a total of 38.2 million in 2030, as investments in energy efficiency, electric vehicles, or hydrogen will increase.
Hidroelectrica signed a joint venture agreement with Masdar from the United Arab Emirates, for the construction of offshore wind farms and floating solar farms in Romania. Hidroelectrica is the largest producer of green energy in Romania, with a portfolio of 187 hydropower plants, with a hydropower capacity of 6.3 GW, plus the Crucea wind farm, with an installed capacity of 108 MW.
In the Republic of Moldova, the installed capacities for the production of electricity through power plants that capitalize on renewable energy sources (photovoltaic, wind, hydroelectric, and biogas cogeneration power plants) have increased three times since 2018. At the end of 2022, the power the total installed capacity was 206.81 MW, compared to 61.6 MW at the end of 2018, according to the Agency for Energy Efficiency of the Republic of Moldova.
The Ministry of Investments and European Projects launches the REPowerEU chapter in public consultation, which will bring Romania €1.4 billion for energy independence. The amount will be used for strategic investments in the key area of energy security, which will allow the creation of clean energy production and storage ecosystems (hydropower, photovoltaics). The set of proposed measures will have a positive impact in supporting the acceleration of Europe's clean energy transition.
More than 3,000 MW of solar energy projects are to be installed in Romania in the next two years, thanks to European funds. The government is preparing green funding from the Modernisation Fund: over €1.5 billion for companies and local authorities. Romania is among the top 10 countries in alternative energy consumption.
In a comprehensive modernization effort, real estate developer GTC switches to 100% green energy; reducing its domestic energy consumption by 20%.
Auchan Romania has a long-term ambition to reduce direct emissions by 46% by 2030 and to use only renewable energy by the same year.
EU Member States have significantly closed the gap to achieving the 2030 energy and climate targets.
Greenvolt Power, part of the Greenvolt Group, has reached an agreement to sell a portfolio of four wind farms in Poland with a total installed capacity of 33.2 MW.
The facility, under construction in central Bulgaria, is being developed by Chint Green Energy, a subsidiary of Chint Group, which also owns the solar panel manufacturer Astronergy.
The Oradea City Hall has completed a €25.6 million investment project, funded through non-reimbursable financial support from the Ministry of Investments and European Projects.
