Romanian town Beiuș to boost geothermal distring heating to 100%

The local authority in Beiuș, a trailblazer in geothermal district heating in Romania, should apply for European funding to cover the entire area, according to a new study. The town already has the cheapest energy in the country.

Beiuș is the only town in Romania where geothermal energy accounts for more than 70% of the district heating of homes, institutions and firms. A new technical study is opening the way to a system upgrade by using European grants, state news agency Agerpres reported.

The project was funded by Innovation Norway, a state-owned development bank based in Oslo. Mayor of Beiuș Gabriel Popa said at a presentation marking its completion that his municipality aims to achieve 100% coverage. Iceland managed the endeavor and a company from the island country conducted the study on the geology of the local geothermal water reservoir.

The research covered possibilities to prevent losses in the geothermal district heating system. Beiuș, in Bihor county in northwestern Romania, has just under 10,000 inhabitants.

According to the authors, European development programs are accessible. A new guide is under public consultation.

Dozens of local authorities including capital Bucharest are developing geothermal heating projects.

EEA funding available to get full coverage

The speakers at the conference presented prospects for development using subsidies from the European Economic Area (EEA). The region consists of European Union member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Engineer Horia Ban said heat pumps could save 30% to 50% of the energy of the water returned from the geothermal district heating system. He is the head of the Oradea-based SRG association, which promotes heat pump solutions for geothermal heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), and of local renewable energy company Termoline.

The European Commission and European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) funded complementary research into air conditioning from geothermal wastewater.

Agriculture can tap water from geothermal district heating system in Beiuș

To lower the losses, the study’s authors recommend insulated PE-Xa pipes and directing the exit flow from the geothermal district heating system to greenhouses, wood dryers and fish farms.

Transgex, based in the county’s capital Oradea, supplies the geothermal water in Beiuș. The reservoir was discovered in 1996 at a depth of 2.6 kilometers. The temperature is 85 degrees Celsius.

The prefeasibility study was funded in 2017 in partnership with Iceland, through EEA Grants. Beiuș is now a town with the cheapest energy in Romania, the article adds.

An EU project worth EUR 33.6 million began a year ago for the construction of an aquapark. It envisages a facility with eight outdoor pools of 6,691 square meters overall in Beiuș. The grant amounts to EUR 12.5 million.

Looking at entire Southeastern Europe, Turkey sticks out as one of the main global players in geothermal energy including power plants, a more complex technology. The potential in Romania and Greece is among the highest in the EU. Bulgaria is also working with EEA funds. Serbia only has small projects for now.

Croatia hosts one geothermal power plant, though is currently offline due to an ownership dispute. Numerous municipal and private projects are underway.