The Nufărul geothermal station in Oradea, developed through a European project worth EUR 25 million, was officially inaugurated on Thursday, May 29.
The station is the first of its kind in Romania, and builders had to drill approximately 2,800 meters for water.
“All extracted water comes to the geothermal station on Iancu de Hunedoara Street, and the geothermal energy obtained is delivered to the Nufărul I neighborhood, to over 13,500 residents, meaning over 6,000 apartments plus public institutions and economic agents,” said mayor Florin Birta during a press conference, cited by Bihoreanul.
As part of the project, 277 mini thermal points were installed at the staircase level of apartment buildings.
“If Termoficare (note: the city heating company) stops the heating on April 15 and it’s still cold outside, the residents of these buildings can ask the operator to turn the heating back on at the staircase level. Likewise, in the fall, they can request it to be turned on earlier,” the official added.
The inauguration of the station was also attended by European projects and investments minister Marcel Boloș, who was involved in the project from the beginning as a director at Oradea City Hall. “Only in a few localities in Romania can we see such projects that contribute to improving the standard of living,” he said.
Boloș added that financing for similar projects will continue, to encourage the use of renewable energy sources and reduce subsidies used for the payment of thermal energy.
Following the implementation of this project, which began in 2022, the percentage of geothermal energy used for heating apartments in Oradea increased to 15%. Future investments can also bring the percentage to 30%.
Oradea invested roughly EUR 200 million in recent years in rehabilitating the heating system. As a result, it cut its CO2 emission from 1 million tons to about 230,000 tons.
(Photo source: Florin Birta on Facebook video capture)
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