Romanian developer IULIUS announced on Tuesday, September 23, that it will invest EUR 29 million in “the largest bioremediation project in Europe by a private investor,” restoring 38 hectares of contaminated land in downtown Constanța as part of its EUR 800 million urban regeneration project.
The site, once home to the city’s Oil Terminal platform, has been polluted for decades. The remediation effort marks the second phase of IULIUS’s wider EUR 800 million redevelopment, which aims to transform the industrial brownfield into a mixed-use complex with cultural, educational, retail, office, and leisure components.
The company said it is working with researchers from the National Research & Development Institute for Pedology, Agrochemistry and Environmental Protection (ICPA) in Bucharest, who have developed a unique biotechnological solution using natural microorganisms capable of breaking down hydrocarbons. The process will target both soil and groundwater pollution.
“We are now taking the most important step by healing the contaminated area of the city and transforming it into a green project for generations to come, with impact in developing Constanța into a year-round active and attractive destination,” said Raluca Munteanu, Development Manager at IULIUS.
The remediation will involve enriching polluted soil with a custom microbial mix, isolating contaminants with geomembranes, and treating groundwater via a hydrogeological barrier and filtration system.
IULIUS has also invested more than EUR 420,000 in research infrastructure, funding new laboratories at ICPA in Bucharest and Ovidius University in Constanța to support large-scale testing and implementation.
The wider regeneration project, designed by British firm Foster + Partners, will include public parks, a botanical garden, sports and leisure facilities, cultural venues, and modern office space. IULIUS said the initiative will not only reshape Constanța’s urban core but also position the Black Sea port city as a year-round cultural and business hub.
IULIUS Company is a real estate developer and operator specialized in mixed-use urban regeneration projects in Romania, with projects in Iași, Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca, and Suceava. Its portfolio comprises more than 320,000 sqm of retail premises in two mixed-use urban regeneration projects (Palas Iași and Iulius Town Timișoara), the nationwide network of regional shopping malls (Iulius Mall – Iași, Cluj-Napoca, and Suceava), and the Family Market projects in Iași (Miroslava and Bucium).
IULIUS has also been one of the most active developers and operators of class A office buildings, creating regional business hubs and multinational creative communities under the United Business Center national brand in three major academic centers in Romania – Iași, Timișoara, and Cluj-Napoca. In total, there are 15 green buildings with a total area exceeding 242,000 sqm, accommodating over 140 company offices and more than 29,500 employees.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: IULIUS)
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