Cluj-Napoca City Hall is also investing in hydrogen for buses and district heating to reduce pollution in the city, but not the costs, said the city’s deputy mayor, Dan Tarcea. The city has set an ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reach energy efficiency and zero emissions by 2030.
“It is true that hydrogen will not reduce costs, but it will significantly reduce pollution. I am confident it will be the fuel of the future. We are also watching developments in Western Europe, especially in Germany, to see how the industry is adapting and how we can implement these solutions”, said Tarcea, at the conference “Energy Transition Cluj-Napoca 2025”, organized by Energynomics together with the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry – AHK Romania.
Cluj is investing over €200 million to modernize its district heating system by 2031, with projects underway for energy islands and block plants. The city is also developing photovoltaic parks covering the consumption of thousands of apartments and solar panels on public buildings, generating 2,500 MWh annually. As for public transport, Tarcea announced that 65% of the means of transport are electric and that the municipality aims to fully transition to electric transport by 2030. The city is also focusing on expanding green areas through the 3-30-300 program, which entails: three trees visible from the window, 30% tree canopy in every neighborhood and a park within 300 meters of every home. So far, more than 100 million euros have been invested in expanding parks, including East Park, which spans over 55 hectares.
“Why are we talking about energy efficiency? I think we’re not just talking about saving money. Of course, the financial component is important, whether we are talking about making a company more efficient or reducing some costs at the town hall. But from my point of view, this is not the main objective. I think that first and foremost we need to think about the impact of energy efficiency when we access renewable sources and the social and economic benefits they bring,” Tarcea said.
Cluj is also developing the infrastructure for alternative mobility, with over 60 km of bicycle paths, including on the metropolitan belt, and projects to interconnect with Floresști. The Deputy Mayor emphasized that all these projects are part of a wider plan, worth more than €4.5 billion, financed by European funds and the local budget, aimed at transforming Cluj into a low-emission city with modern infrastructure.
The conference “Energy Transition Cluj-Napoca 2025” was organized by Energynomics together with the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry – AHK Romania, with the support of our partners: Elektra Renewable Support, BCR, Elnos, EnergoBit, Lemetal, MET Romania Energy, ThinkBlu Solution, Wiren.