Distribuție Energie Electrică Romania (DEER), the largest national electricity distribution operator, signed on August 11 the financing contract for the implementation of the project “Increasing distribution capacity and RED digitalization in the western area of ​​Cluj-Napoca and Florești, Cluj County”, one of the strategic investments aimed at the modernization and digitalization of the distribution infrastructure in Cluj County.

With a total value of 237.6 million lei, the project has a direct impact on approximately 80,000 household and non-household users in the municipality of Cluj-Napoca and the commune of Florești, who will benefit from a modernized and digitalized electrical infrastructure and a distribution service with high performance standards.

The investment responds to both the current consumption needs and the development dynamics of one of the most important urban and peri-urban areas in Romania and creates the infrastructure necessary for the integration of an additional volume of energy produced from renewable sources.

Of the project value, 101,092,503.20 lei represents non-reimbursable financing from the European Regional Development Fund, and DEER’s own contribution is 112,782,883.27 lei, to which VAT is added.

“Investments in the electricity distribution network are investments in the development of communities and in the energy future of Romania. By signing this contract, we are taking a new important step in the direction we have assumed: the development of a modern, intelligent and resilient infrastructure, capable of responding to both current needs and the accelerated transformations in the energy sector. We are talking about an investment with a direct impact on approximately 80,000 users in Cluj-Napoca and Florești. Increasing distribution capacity, digitizing the network and implementing smart metering ultimately means a more efficient distribution service and a network prepared for the integration of an increasing volume of energy from renewable sources. European funds represent an essential accelerator of this process, and DEER continues to capitalize on these opportunities to transform and prepare the network for the future”, says Mihaela Suciu, DEER General Manager.

The works envisaged within the project – the transition of the medium voltage network to 20 kV in Cluj-Napoca, the construction of the new 110/20 kV transformer station in Florești and the implementation of the Smart Metering System in Florești – will have a direct impact on household and non-household users in some of the most important areas of the municipality of Cluj-Napoca and the locality of Florești.

One of the major components of the project is the construction of a new 110/20 kV transformer station on the administrative territory of the commune of Florești, in the area of ​​the future Cluj Regional Hospital, in the vicinity of the western border of the municipality of Cluj-Napoca.

The new station will be equipped with two 110/20 kV transformers, with a power of 25 MVA each. The investment will allow for the increase in distribution capacity, the improvement of the quality parameters of the distributed electricity and will create the necessary technical conditions for the additional takeover of electricity produced from renewable sources into the network.

Another strategic component aims to upgrade the medium voltage network from 10 kV to 20 kV, and within the project, 54.6 km of underground medium voltage power lines will be built, 36 existing transformer stations will be modernized and 5 new transformer stations will be built.

All installations will be integrated into the SCADA system, which will allow for the digitalized monitoring and operation of the network. The transition from 10 kV to 20 kV will allow for the doubling of distribution capacity and the reduction of technical losses in the network, contributing to increasing the efficiency and performance of the electrical infrastructure.

The digitalization component of the project includes the implementation of the Smart Metering System (SMI) in the Florești locality, by installing a number of approximately 39,000 smart meters, while the necessary works for their integration into the measurement data management system are also being carried out.

The implementation of SMI will contribute to the digitalization of the network, quick access to measurement data and detailed consumption information, the possibility of billing based on actual consumption for users, rapid identification of network incidents or anomalies and faster interventions.