Bucharest has geothermal energy in the north of the Capital and it would be a shame not to use it again, once the feasibility study is drawn up and with financing from the Modernization Fund, in a few years, we will be able to benefit for the first time from geothermal energy in the Bucharest heating system, declared, on Tuesday, the Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Electrocentrale Bucharest (ELCEN) and Sage Geosystems Incorporated. Electrocentrale Bucureşti (ELCEN) signed on Tuesday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sage Geosystems Incorporated, a US company that develops geothermal energy exploitation and storage technologies, in order to carry out a feasibility study on the implementation of resource utilization technologies geothermal within the centralized heating system in Bucharest.

“The official opening of the first part of this P-TECC took place, the Trans-Atlantic Partnership for Energy and Climate, an initiative launched 5 years ago by the United States of America.(…) This year we had the honor of to host this very important forum in Bucharest. Today is dedicated to the partnership between the public sector and the private sector. In this context, an important signing took place between ELCEN Bucharest and the American company Sage Geosystems and the inclusion of geothermal energy, a form of renewable energy, for cleaner air, for lower bills for Romanians, exactly as I have been announcing in recent months. I congratulate Mr. Claudiu Crețu (general director of ELCEN n.r.) for this action. In fact, we went to Washington together at the beginning of this year and then we met for the first time with the Department of Energy, which promised to support us with their own funds for this feasibility study. The feasibility study will most likely be completed by the end of the current year, so it is a fairly quick stage, after which, based on this study, ELCEN will prepare the application for the Modernization Fund, so that we can get the money for the actual implementation of the project. Bucharest has geothermal energy in the north of the Capital, it’s a shame not to use it, there are existing boreholes. There are data and, with this study and financing from the Modernization Fund, in a few years we will be able to benefit from geothermal energy for the first time in the Bucharest heating system,” said Burduja, according to Agerpres.

Also, the general director of ELCEN, Claudiu Crețu emphasized that a vision is needed for the transformation of the heating system in the Capital and this cannot be done without the integration of renewable energy.

“We all know the problems that were and still are with Bucharest’s heating system. In addition to the approach of repairing what we have in the short term, in addition to the approach of continuously doing rags, of acting as a firefighter, there is a need a vision of transforming this system for the next 20, 30, 50 years can only be done by integrating renewable energy. And in the next period we are focusing on geothermal energy with geothermal energy, and on the energy storage side, both thermal and electrical. We cannot heat Bucharest with either wind energy or solar energy. The solution is integration geothermal energy, energy storage, flexible capacities and in this way we will be able to have energy as cheap as possible, as safe as possible and energy independence for Bucharest. As the minister said, we have been talking for several years. For such a project, we need to have a well-done feasibility study, so that we can obtain financing. We have this chance with the Modernization Fund, we will apply for the Modernization Fund and we hope that in the next three, four years, maybe two, we will start to be able to develop such a project.(…) Geothermal energy will be taken over and introduced into the system of pipes, depending on the temperature at which this geothermal energy will be extracted, obviously it will enter together with the energy from the thermal power plant to regulate the right temperature. So it will be a redundant system,” said Claudiu Crețu.

He explained that it will start with a pilot project, it will be seen if it works, then the transition will be made, mentioning at the same time that it will be about profitability, technical possibility, etc.

“So, in the first phase we need a feasibility study. The feasibility study will show exactly the next steps. As a result: new drilling will be needed, wells will be needed, installations will be needed, pumps will be needed to take over this energy, the automation part, digitalization, etc. So the feasibility study will show in detail what needs to be done. Then we will go to the financing, the technical specialists contracted by the Modernization Fund will evaluate, see if this project is feasible or not, if improvements are needed to the project and at that time we will have details regarding the amounts, how much, how many years, etc. But it is important to start,” the ELCEN director pointed out.