a trailblazer in geothermal district heating in Romania should apply for European funding to reach full coverage 0 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 European development programs are accessible Dozens of local authorities including capital Bucharest are developing geothermal heating projects 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 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 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 the study’s authors recommend insulated PE-Xa pipes and directing the exit flow from the geothermal district heating system to greenhouses based in the county’s capital Oradea The reservoir was discovered in 1996 at a depth of 2.6 kilometers The prefeasibility study was funded in 2017 in partnership with Iceland Beiuș is now a town with the cheapest energy in Romania 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 Croatia hosts one geothermal power plant, though is currently offline due to an ownership dispute. Numerous municipal and private projects are underway Be the first one to comment on this article 22 April 2025 - Croatia has earmarked EUR 25 million for households at risk of energy poverty They will use the funds for energy renovation 21 April 2025 - Existing geothermal wells alone can enable Turkey to become one of the world's major producers of lithium 17 April 2025 - Minister of Energy and Mining of Montenegro Admir Šahmanović was formally voted in as the two ministries that he ran were merged 16 April 2025 - The government approved EUR 30 million in grants to businesses for investments in renewable energy production and energy efficiency measures © CENTER FOR PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2008-2020 website developed by ogitive about 4,790 miles separate Mayor Gerard Neugebauer from his counterpart in Green’s sister city of Beius it was a few feet of floor space at Community Hall in Central Park Beius’ Mayor Petru Mlendea-Calus and his wife were in Green to soak in the city’s amenities a favor returned from Neugebauer’s visit to Romania last summer a band resolutely played polka music in the Central Park Amphitheater as about 50 determined umbrella-armed residents listened Mlendea-Calus said through translator Emil Cintoc a Green resident and son of the Romanian Baptist Church minister who helped develop the idea of the sister-city relationship “You don’t have to be an expert to realize the people come first [in Green],” Mlendea-Calus said He compared Green to Cambridge or Stanford Green and the Romanian municipality of about 15,000 residents became sister cities in February 2018 when Green City Council approved the arrangement in a resolution Last week was Mlendea-Calus’s turn to call on his sister mayor It was his first tourist visit to the United States He and his wife landed on July 1 and spent the week touring Green and surrounding sights there was the visit to the Cleveland Art Museum and a concert by the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center The RubberDucks game held special interest to Mlendea-Calus who said a Romanian game is very similar to American baseball “[I think] baseball is inspired or comes from a Romanian sport.” that the scoring eluded him until later innings Neugebauer said there are similarities between the cities — they are both suburban in nature and similar in population density — but they have economic and cultural differences that can benefit each other the Green mayor noticed that the Municipal Hospital Nicolae Popovici in Beius possessed only two TV screens for its patients Neugebauer organized an effort to provide television screens to the hospital and 48 have been delivered to the hospital of the 60 goal Neugebauer is confident the community will help with the other 12 “It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you have a goal,” he said both mayors believe practical results will follow said a business in Beius is in the preliminary stages of planning a location in his city “One group is looking to building a factory in Green down the road,” he said The Green mayor hopes to expand on his success with the televisions in Municipal Hospital Nicolae Popovici with tennis coached two of the world’s top female tennis players at various times “I’m exploring an idea to expand tennis facilities in Beius looking at finding an existing facility that would be renovated,” said Neugebauer Mlendea-Calus said one of the culinary highpoints was his visit to Menches Brothers Restaurant & Pub in Green where he learned how different an American burger can be than the McDonald’s products offered in Romania The relationship between the two cities has fostered an understanding of American life he didn’t have before “They have a friend they can count on,” Mlendea-Calus said Alan Ashworth can be reached at 330-996-3859 or aashworth@thebeaconjournal.com They might feel aggrieved at not obtaining an official seal of approval but traditional Romanian dressmakers are riding a wave of demand for their folk designs after a top fashion house inadvertently showcased their craft Clothes makers from Romania’s northwestern Bihor County were more than a little bemused when they got wind of a Christian Dior SE collection last year Their jaws notably dropped when they saw an embroidered folk coat that looked strikingly similar to the cojocel binsenesc waistcoat their region has been producing for about a century sells at home and abroad for about 500 euros (US$572) — almost a month’s salary in one of the EU’s poorest countries The Dior coat did not go unnoticed among the wider population either after a resident of the regional city of Beius spotted it in a Singapore shop and posted it on Facebook thanking the Dior fashion house for appreciating this beautiful item,” said Dorina Hanza a 52-year-old embroiderer who understood the similarity which promotes the Romanian blouse to encourage women to wear it juxtaposed the different versions side by side on Twitter with the hashtag #givecredit which did not respond to requests for comment might well have done the Bihor designers a favor Demand has soared since the social media posts pointing out the similarities between both versions of the heavily embroidered sheepskin sleeveless jacket with black fur edging everybody wants one” from the traditional source while happy to see the Romanian version in the limelight said she just wished Dior could have given a nod to their apparent inspiration “They could have said: ‘We borrowed this from the Romanian people,’” Hanza said adding that “the tradition might have been lost” had the current controversy not emerged “That proves it’s really pretty,” said the librarian a hobbyist crocheter and embroiderer who has just produced her own first attempt at the traditional waistcoat Thanks to you we have begun to love our traditional costume again,” said 33-year-old Diana Herdelo another member of the Beius group who is weaving one of her own The waistcoat is made from local Bihor sheepskin after a tanning process of about three weeks It is then tailored and decorated with local-style embroidery and worn by both men and women With traditional regional costumes being worn by fewer and fewer people demand for the clothes had almost died out until the controversy over the Dior jacket reignited interest one important detail on the Dior version did not escape the notice of Bihor residents — the jacket worn by the fashion model was adorned with motifs — a phallic symbol — strictly worn only by men “Tradition doesn’t allow a woman to wear a man’s cojocel or the other way around,” Hanza said Romania’s Beau Monde magazine and advertising agency McCann have launched an ad campaign entitled “Bihor Couture,” along with a Web site where fans can order a jacket and other traditional items The site has already taken about 1,000 orders “Our goal is to help people in this region and showcase their work and their traditions which were in danger of dying out,” former Beau Monde editor-in-chief Roxana Dobrita said McCann creative director for Romania Catalin Dobre said he believes that “the fashion industry should do more to support traditions.” the leading brands take their inspiration from different cultures without recognizing it,” he said in an e-mail Romanian Peasant Museum curator Horatiu Ilea said he believes any accusations against Dior in this case are unjustified adding that “cultural appropriation” has been going on since ancient times Ilea urged Romania “to benefit from this incident launching a campaign promoting traditional and artisanal work.” GREEN  The city of Green hopes to become a tree city by next year the city recently held its first Arbor Day celebration in Central Park Romania," centered around the city’s sister city relationship with Beius There are 248 other Ohio communities who are tree cities Ohio leads the way of any state in the United States with the most communities involved In order to be a tree city there are four standards: to have a tree board or department have a community budget that spends at least $2 per capita on tree related expenses and to host an Arbor Day proclamation and observance Green Mayor Gerard Neugebauer during the celebration recognized the city’s sister city and presented a proclamation to Dan Susman from the Romanian Baptist Church The mayor plans to travel to Beius in early July in a joint signing ceremony that will formalize this sister city relationship Neugebauer said the Norway spruce produces the largest cones of any spruce variety He also said the tree is commonly used by cities around the world as a Christmas tree The new tree will serve as Green’s Christmas tree starting this year donated by Midwest Engraving reads: Arbor Day April 27 Norway Spruce in honor of our sister city Beius The city also announced the winners of the poster contest which had 112 entries from students in Green Local Schools Neugebauer thanked the schools and the art teachers who encouraged students to take part in the contest Judging the contest was the Living Green Task Force For the kindergarten through third grade the winners were first place Scarlett Gruly; and third place Christy Guesman All of the posters are expected to be on display in the Central Administration Building and each of the winners received a Venus fly trap The poster winners helped Neugebauer plant the tree by adding mulch around it Green Service Director Valerie Wax Carr said the city has already met two of the needed requirements to become a tree city and will be working on creating a tree board and a tree care ordinance "I was shocked when I came here that Green wasn’t a tree city," Wax Carr said Neugebauer said when he took office he started something new in that when an employee retires from the city the city has planted several trees just to the east of the Community Hall in Central Park Wax Carr said the city plans to continue to hold an Arbor Day celebration in the future and hopes to come up with a different theme and contest Like a gambler never satisfied by the past and present gains the European Union (EU) makes a new bet in the energy sector – geothermal energy in the sector of environmental protection and the definitive abandonment of classical sources and ways of producing energy there are many losers and few benefit from the gains those who lose must also pay fines to Brussels the European Commission (EC) pushes it a little further and imposes but honest negotiations between its extremely disparate members new targets in terms of share of renewable energy in the final energy consumption of each Member State are those that come up with the most ambitious plans and all these desires of a minority become an obligation imposed on the majority wind energy was seen as the saviour of the planet which meant a 20% reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels a 20% improvement in energy efficiency and ensuring that 20% of energy consumed comes from renewable sources (wind energy from renewable sources accounted for 18.9% of energy consumed in the EU In the meantime, more than half of the 2020 has already passed, and the EU has set other objectives, even more ambitious than the famous 20/20/20. Therefore, the new target, included in the European Green Deal should represent an EU released from the yoke of polluting energy sources as it is increasingly felt at the level of the Community political sensitivity and this would be obtained through a number of strategies which will radically change especially how we produce and consume energy in the EU The main industries to be impacted by these European aspirations are that of the energy production and automotive the latter being overwhelmingly remodelled into a socialism of mobility by the fact that holding a car will become a rarity because this transition from coal to wind and solar power to whatever energy source will be considered non-polluting and trustworthy (from a political point of view) at the level of 2050 will make victims in everything that means economic life the EU will provide a financial support of EUR 100 billion and technical assistance during 2021-2027 to help the citizens companies and regions that are most affected by transition to green economy Definitely those in Central and Eastern Europe Bulgaria or the Czech Republic are still dependent to a great extent on coal and natural gas Romania is only starting to discover natural gas One of the smaller ambitions (small probably due to the lack of significant reserves of raw material) of the EU are directed towards geothermal energy In a project called Geothermica the EU throws in a budget of EUR 30 million for small and large projects using geothermal energy for heating the boiling water from the ground would have the potential to contribute to the ‘greening’ of the air we breathe As in the case of any other energy source considered economic and especially political arguments geothermal energy is still dressed in the in the garb of non-polluting righteousness the EU does not hold such substantial reserves as to witness a new gold rush Maybe this is precisely what the EU wants to correct If the EU expects to create trends globally in terms of geothermal energy it could be said that it rather learns from others because geothermal energy is not a novelty for other countries on other continents while the EU only now discovers geothermal energy since the eighth decade of the last century the public figures show that geothermal energy could generate up to 8.3% of the electricity needs if this energy were to be used to the maximum South America and the Pacific could cover entirely their electricity needs The world leader in the use of this type of energy is the US with an installed capacity of 3,639 MW (about half of the production capacity of Hidroelectrica the largest electricity producer in Romania) produces 16.7 billion kWh per year (about as much as Hidroelectrica produces in an average hydrological year) with an energy production capacity from geothermal sources of 1,948 MW with geothermal plants of 1,868 MW in 2018 The few European states that fall into such a ranking are Iceland or Italy Germany also has a number of intentions to use this type of energy while Portugal holds 30 MW in geothermal energy The geothermal energy installed in the EU can supply about 2 million homes the EU is very poorly represented in this hierarchy and for things to put the Union in an even less favourable position many of these power plants were commissioned in in 1981 (a power plant in Kenya) 1994 (Indonesia) or 1996 (the Philippines) Geothermal energy is certainly not a missed train for Europeans but it is clear that it is not a pioneering industry a term more appropriate for the civilizing claims of Brussels But there are also other states that hold such geothermal resources and are starting to invest in their use signed an agreement to contract a loan of USD 10mln for an investment in a geothermal power plant with a power of 50 MW Taiwan has also signed an agreement with Swedish energy technology company Climeon for the construction of the country’s first commercial geothermal power plant in 2019 there were almost 370 units producing energy from geothermal sources totalling a production capacity of 15,406 MW New geothermal projects brought last year 759 MW in addition to the global installed capacity this being the largest annual growth of the installed power in the recent years It remains to be seen how the political class in Brussels and each national government will turn geothermal energy which is not an extremely rich resource on the Old Continent into a probable obligation whose non-compliance will be punished by fines and in the mainstream media Romania is one of the countries that have this resource in their energy portfolio has become a net importer of energy in the last year which it has been using since before the politicians in Brussels negotiated new definitions of green energy and new ceilings of clean energy in the final consumption of each Member State research has been conducted and wells have been drilled in search for geothermal water sources since the 1900s and the conclusions are that such reserves of geothermal waters are found in the west except for Island (the richest country in this resource) which uses geothermal water entirely in the district heating system this country uses geothermal water to heat 90% of the almost 400,000 inhabitants a performance due to the unique specificity of the basement of this island state The installed power of this country in geothermal power production facilities is about 800 MW is the only city in the country where district heating is exclusively based on geothermal water geothermal water used to heat over 100 blocks of flats and several public institutions is extracted from depths of 2,500 – 3,000 meters by two wells and is delivered to consumers through a system of 17 kilometres of pipelines the operator of the heating system in Beius a third well reinjects into the ground the thermal wastewater The two wells extract annually over 420,000 cubic meters of geothermal water at temperatures varying between 70 and 84°C a city that is said to be on a geothermal water lake discussions on the exploitation of geothermal resources have existed since at least 2009 geothermal water was used in a swimming pool at the Press House (which no longer exists) and to heat the Ana Aslan Institute geothermal energy is not a novelty for Romania but its use is not part of a national or at least regional strategy but was the result of independent initiatives independent of the government And an initiative assumed by the government on the exploitation of geothermal water does not exist at this time although this resource has been vaguely mentioned in multiple attempts at national energy strategies once the EC has turned its eyes to the Community basement The investment in the factory is EUR 17.5 million and represents the costs of rehabilitating a building that has been reintroduced into the production circuit and the costs of the latest generation equipment used LEONI renovated and rehabilitated the space to international standards Equally important is the investment made in the training of people – production operators technicians and engineers – investment that will make the workforce in the region better trained and more integrated in the current labor market landscape Country Manger LEONI Wiring Systems Romania to find out more about the company and the activity of the group in our country   Business Review: The Leoni Group has been present in Romania since 2000 and since then it has opened several factories and even a centre for the HR department Why did you choose Romania for development and how much money has been invested in Romania so far We are a centre of excellence in the production of wiring harnesses and components for electric from luxury cars to trucks and agricultural machinery We have over 23,500 different products in our portfolio and more than 2,900 local suppliers (almost 70% of the total) our Romanian teams participate in international projects and are recognised for their know-how in developing high-voltage wiring systems (for electric and hybrid cars) In 2022, the consolidated turnover of all LEONI Romania entities was approximately EUR 640 million. The contribution to the state budget, which is reflected by taxes paid in 2022 alone, is over 70 million euros. You inaugurated a new factory now, the one in Beiuș. Why was a new factory in Romania needed and how will it participate in Leoni’s operations in Romania? The Beiuș plant was created out of the need to cover new or future LEONI projects in Romania with production destined for several commercial vehicle manufacturers The newly opened plant is the second plant in Beiuș and is very relevant for the local community LEONI has brought back into use a production space that it renovated and refurbished to international standards Compared to the initial production capacity in Beiuș (the old factory) thanks to the new investment of 17.5 million euro we will increase the production capacity in Beiuș as the new factory is three times bigger than the old one How is the new factory different from the existing ones and what does it bring to Leoni production integrated computer system used to monitor the production process as well as equipment unique in Romania in the production of wiring harnesses for the automotive industry how are they implemented in the new factory in Beiuș With a significant presence in six counties through manufacturing operations LEONI fully understands the responsibility of its socio-economic footprint and makes it a priority to support its communities through projects dedicated to youth and adolescent development last month in Bistrita-Năsăud we partnered with the National Association of the Deaf through which we hired people with hearing impairments we partner with universities and vocational schools and prepare young people for future careers in the automotive industry we signed the Romanian Diversity Charter and committed to fostering an inclusive environment that gives the right workplace configuration so that hiring promotion and compensation practices are fair and impartial What are the trends in the automotive industry at the global and European level and what impact do they have in Romania Romania has good potential in the area of automotive production We need a national strategy to keep existing production in the country or bring in new projects Ensuring easy access to investment finance makes a difference and turns Romania into a favourable environment for development at a faster pace the teams we have built here and the excellent results so far help us a lot in this process Sustainability is a strategic priority for both us and our customers which is reflected both in the components and cars we produce and the way we make them We have sustainability investments planned for this year and next Our global ReWire strategy integrates solutions to identified environmental challenges by clear standards for material suppliers environmental standards applied in over 80% of our locations increasing the number of recycled materials used year on year increasing production and use of green energy improving workplace safety in all our locations and awareness and engagement activities in local communities community involvement also plays a strategic role for us We invest in LEONI people through training programmes and seek to provide them with relevant experiences for their professional development That’s why we have examples of colleagues who started their careers as production operators and over time became managers leading very large teams We have great people with us and this is the solid foundation of our future We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used.