The Ministry of Energy and the municipality of Constanta have signed the financing contract through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) for the construction of a high-efficiency cogeneration thermal and electrical utility in the municipality of Constanta. The total value of the project is almost 743 million lei, of which the maximum non-reimbursable eligible amount is 430 million lei.

The project falls under Investment Measure 3 – Development of flexible and high-efficiency gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) capacity in the district heating sector. According to the Ministry, the proposed CHP solution meets all the requirements of the Energy Efficiency Directive regarding overall efficiency, primary energy savings and reduction of greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions into the atmosphere, as well as all the requirements of the current funding programs, including entering below the specific emission limit related to useful energy produced of 250 g CO2/kWh, without the need for any low CO2 emitting fuel gas (such as green hydrogen).

According to www.economedia.ro, nine companies and municipalities have submitted projects to receive money from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to invest in flexible, high-efficiency combined heat and power (CHP) and gas-fired power generation in the district heating sector. The budget for this scheme amounts to almost 400 million euros, in lei equivalent at the rate of 4.9195 RON/EUR. The aim of these projects is to increase the installed cogeneration capacity in the district heating system by around 300 MW.

Here are the entities that submitted projects:

• Municipality of Constanta – Source of heat and electricity production through high efficiency cogeneration
• Chimcomplex SA Borzești – High-efficiency flexible gas-fired cogeneration for district heating Rm. Vâlcea
• Municipality of Arad – High-efficiency cogeneration of heat and electricity production at CETH SA
• Parc Industrial SRL – Construction of a cogeneration power plant for the production of electricity and thermal energy with electrical power
• Complexul Energetic Oltenia SA – CPH 295 MW for Electrocentrale Craiova SA
• AutoRo SRL – Construction of a cogeneration plant based on the thermal load curve of SACET Râmnicu Vâlcea
• Energyprod Sunny SRL – Increase of high-efficiency electricity and heat production capacity
• Municipality of Timișoara – Installation of high-efficiency turbine or motors for the production of heat energy in cogeneration system
• Urbana SA – Modernization of the cogeneration plant for CT “Hipodrom”.

Projects eligible for funding under the call must provide for the construction or modernization of high-efficiency cogeneration electricity and heat production units in the centralized, gas-fired, flexible, high-efficiency cogeneration sector. Investments must replace at least the same capacity of power and/or heat plants with significantly higher carbon dioxide emissions (e.g. coal, lignite or oil-fired), thus leading to lower GHG emissions.