Energy rehabilitation and modernization of the education unit in Vernesti marks another significant achievement in the ‘Romania Eficienta’ program The complex renovation of the building to nZEB standards was a major challenge for the construction team involved in modifying and adapting the space with specific technical installations and equipment the building was already facing numerous problems affecting the health comfort and ability of students and teachers to participate in the educational process Solving these problems has led to obtaining a modern framework the specific technical elements executed concerned: -construction of handrail for access ramp for people with disabilities -construction of waste collection platform with water supply and siphon drain -assembly of earth ground and lightning rod -installation of a fire detection and alarm system -thermal insulation of the slab above the floor (from the attic) -replacing the existing joinery with energy-efficient joinery -replacing the domestic hot water installation -installation of heat recovery ventilation systems for accommodation and learning spaces -installation of a solar power production system with grid injection -replacing the lighting system with energy efficient lighting -replacing the roof cover and rainwater system -modification of plumbing and heating installations -mounting drywall ceilings for masking ventilation/sanitary routes -plastering and painting walls and ceilings the site management – an essential process This includes the installations and temporary constructions necessary for the realization of the work itself Through an investment of over EUR 1.3 million has modernized and rehabilitated to nZEB standard the workshops of the Technological High School in Vernesti It is the fourth public education establishment in the country and the first in rural areas to benefit from a near zero energy building (nZEB) thoroughly renovated through Romania Eficienta members of the local authorities and the School Inspectorate and the students had the opportunity to step for the first time into the new modern and healthy building where they will carry out their practical learning activities expressed her confidence in the educational and mobilizing role that the new body of workshops and laboratories will have on students By learning in a building renovated to nZEB standards children will experience first-hand the benefits of energy efficiency This will help them better understand the importance of limiting waste and encourage them to adopt responsible resource consumption behaviour And the effect will be one of multiplication: through them the message of the Romania Eficienta program for a better life and a cleaner environment friends and then spread to the whole community The project will also have a positive effect on students’ school attendance and performance as well as on the development of the communities in Vernesti and the neighbouring localities Thanks to the excellent learning conditions that the Technological High School now offers students who wish to pursue a technical profile can choose to stay closer to home This ensures that more students are attracted and retained in the community Moving from the local to the national level nZEB renovations carried out through Romania Eficienta can be successfully used as best practice models for the modernization of schools in the public education system The energy renovation of the workshop building was a great opportunity and a real lesson in effective collaboration for Lucica Croitoru director of the Vernesti Technological High School to the success of which the level of involvement and unified action of all parties involved from the local authorities and the school inspectorate to the school management and the representatives of the Energy Policy Group which coordinates the Efficient Romania program “Projects of this scale we would never have been able to access nor would we have had the human and logistical resources to be able to do something like this,” said the director Each nZEB renovation carried out through the Romania Eficienta program comes with different challenges In the case of the Technological High School in Vernesti one of them was generated by the purpose of the building which accommodates numerous technical installations and equipment used during class hours even the students were ready to participate in this effort and played a very important role They are the ones who helped the construction team dismantle machinery and furniture in the workshops to clear the building they demonstrated both their hard work and their technical knowledge and skills The second challenge was related to the utility networks to ensure the new systems and appliances in the building functioned properly It has involved allocating additional funds and obtaining new authorizations but the joy of the children and teachers who will benefit from this building of European quality standards has been worth all these efforts everything is optimal and this is what we wanted from the beginning” EPG president and coordinator of the România Eficientă program is extremely pleased with the results and speaks with emotion and gratitude about the importance of this project for the local community and the efforts needed to make it a reality “We can compete with any school in Europe and because the standards we have here today are state-of-the-art” the general school inspector of Buzău County România Eficientă continues the energy renovation to nZEB standard of public schools the official sponsor OMV Petrom has allocated funds of over EUR 7.6 million for the modernization and energy rehabilitation of four schools selected at national level With an investment of over 1.3 million euros has modernized and energetically rehabilitated to nZEB standards the workshop building of the Technological High School of Vernești It is the fourth public education unit in the country and the first in rural areas to benefit from a building with nearly zero energy consumption (nZEB) thoroughly renovated through Romania Eficienta members of local authorities and the School Inspectorate into the new modern and healthy building where they will carry out their practical learning activities expressed her confidence in the educational and mobilizing role that the new body of workshops and laboratories will have on the students Learning in a building renovated to nZEB standards the children will directly experience the benefits of energy efficiency This will help them better understand the importance of limiting waste and will encourage them to adopt responsible behavior in resource consumption friends and then expand to the entire community The project will also have a positive effect on the attendance and school performance of the students but also on the development of the communities in Vernești and neighboring communes students who want to follow a technical profile can choose to stay and study closer to home This ensures that a larger number of students are attracted and retained in the community the nZEB renovations carried out through Romania Eficienta can be successfully used as models of good practice for the modernization of schools in the public education system The energy renovation of the workshop building represented a great opportunity and a real lesson in effective collaboration for Lucica Croitoru director of the Technological High School in Vernești the success of which was largely contributed by the level of involvement and the unified action of all parties involved from the local authorities and the school inspectorate to the school management and representatives of the Energy Policy Group which coordinates the Romania Eficiente program “We would never have been able to access projects of such magnitude nor would we have had the human and logistical resources to do something like this,” said the director Each nZEB renovation carried out through the Efficient Romania program comes with different challenges In the case of the Vernești Technological High School one of them was generated by the purpose of the building which accommodates numerous installations and technical equipment used during classes They are the ones who helped the construction team dismantle the machinery and furniture from the workshops they demonstrated both their diligence and their technical knowledge and skills The second was related to the utility networks to ensure the proper functioning of the new systems and devices with which the building was equipped It involved allocating additional funds and obtaining new permits but the joy of the children and teachers who will benefit from this building at European quality standards was worth all these efforts everything is optimal and it is what we wanted from the beginning” EPG president and coordinator of the Romania Eficienta program is extremely satisfied with the results obtained and speaks with emotion and gratitude about the importance of this project for the local community and the efforts necessary to turn it into reality “We can compete with any school in Europe and because the standards we have here today are state-of-the-art” Romania Eficienta continues the energy renovation to nZEB standard of schools in the public education system the official sponsor OMV Petrom allocated funds of over 7.6 million euros for the modernization and energy rehabilitation of four school units selected at national level OMV Petrom and Energy Policy Group (EPG) announce the completion of the modernization and energy renovation works carried by the Romania Eficienta program at the Technological High School in Vernești The school’s workshop building has been upgraded to nZEB standards (nearly Zero Energy Building) through an investment of approximately EUR 1.3 million The project is part of the fifth stage of the Romania Eficienta program which aims to modernize and rehabilitate at nZEB standards 4 educational institutions with financial support of over 7.6 million euro from OMV Petrom “It’s exciting to see the 4th school renovated under the Romania Eficienta program The nZEB renovation of these schools proves that we can have efficient and sustainable energy consumption And that all of us can contribute to a low-carbon future,” Christina Verchere “We are very pleased to continue the nZEB renovation of educational buildings in Romania The completion of the works at the Technological High School in Vernesti reaffirms EPG’s commitment to contribute to the improvement of students’ learning conditions and to the modernization of the educational system’s infrastructure which require significant investments,” added Radu Dudau EPG President and coordinator of the Romania Eficienta program The Vernesti Technological High School building that benefited from deep renovation works through the Romania Eficienta program was built in the 2000s and has an area of ~300 square meters It houses the workshops and laboratories used by 140 students The modernization project was aimed at solving multiple problems related to the inadequate waterproofing the inefficient thermal insulation and a deficient heating installation generating thermal discomfort and increased humidity as well as the carpentry leaks that favoured condensation and mold growth The undersized lighting system and the adaptations needed for the building’s compliance with the accessibility requirements for people with disabilities were included as well the students and teachers will benefit from a healthy and comfortable indoor environment that encourages academic performance The total annual energy consumption of the building will be reduced by over 60% while part of the electric energy required will be self-generated from renewable sources The main energy rehabilitation and modernization works run through the Romania Eficienta program consisted of: Buzau is the fourth public school in Romania to benefit from extensive energy efficiency works in order to reach the nZEB standard following the “Elie Radu” Energy Technology High School in Ploiesti Romania Eficienta is a nation-wide private project carried out by Energy Policy Group (EPG) in partnership and with funding from OMV Petrom The project started in the summer of 2019 and consists of carrying out a national program for the promotion of energy efficiency Romania Eficienta aims to support achieving Romania’s targets for 2030 in terms of reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy efficiency both through information and education campaigns and by carrying out concrete major renovation projects in public schools in different regions of the country More details can be found on the website romania-eficienta.ro Energy Policy Group (EPG) is an independent non-profit think-tank specializing in energy and climate policy EPG contributes to a technologically advanced sustainable and socially acceptable energy system EPG also promotes long-term decarbonization policies and measures in all economic sectors: energy OMV Petrom is the largest integrated energy producer in Southeastern Europe with an annual Group hydrocarbon production of approximately 41 million boe in 2023 The Group has a refining capacity of 4.5 million tons annually and operates an 860 MW high-efficiency gas-fired power plant The Group is present on the oil products retail market in Romania and neighbouring countries through approximately 780 filling stations under two brands – OMV and Petrom Romanian shareholders hold over 43% of the shares (of which the Romanian state and 22.5% are owned by pension funds in Romania to which are added almost 500,000 individual investors and other Romanian entities) one of the largest listed industrial companies in Austria and the remaining 5.6% are held by other foreign investors 28.1% represents the free float on the Bucharest Stock Exchange OMV Petrom is one of the largest contributors to the state budget with approximately EUR 42 billion in taxes and dividends paid between 2005 and 2023 the company invested approximately EUR 18 billion OMV Petrom has included corporate responsibility principles into its business strategy the company has allocated around EUR 160 million to develop communities in Romania OMV Petrom announced its support for the recommendations issued by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) regarding risks and opportunities on climate change OMV Petrom annually reports on the progress made in implementing these recommendations 4th Educational Unit Modernized Through ‘Romania Eficienta’ Program Supported by OMV Petrom As the European Union (EU) has established ambitious climate neutrality goals for 2050 the widespread adoption of Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (nZEB) standard became mandatory Although the directives provide for clear targets practical implementation and understanding of nZEB requirements remain uneven across Member States Energy Policy Group is running a unique project – ‘Romania Eficienta’ with a key goal: to create a culture of energy efficiency in buildings at national level OMV Petrom and Energy Policy Group (EPG) concluded the energy rehabilitation works at the Technological High School in Vernesti This is the fourth educational unit in Romania to be upgraded to the nZEB standard as part of the ‘Romania Eficienta’ program The value for upgrading this building amounted to EUR 1.3 million as well as the press inaugurated with much enthusiasm and joy the body of workshops and laboratories of the Vernesti Technological High School The building dates back to the 2000s and has an area of approx The newly renovated educational unit will provide the 350 students benefiting from the new conditions with an efficient comfortable and friendly space for specific activities this achievement represents a significant economic gain it can demonstrate that such a project is possible in rural areas and the example can be replicated by mayors across the country “Renovating education buildings to nZEB standards shows that we can have efficient and sustainable energy consumption and that we can all contribute to a low-carbon future,” Christina Verchere pointed out mentioned that EPG’s involvement in such endeavours will continue Benefiting from a generous budget for the renovation of educational units EPG can contribute to the improvement of the conditions for students’ activities and to the modernization of the Romanian education system infrastructure “What’s new is that we renovated the first school in a rural area where we were guided by certain indicators including being a locality with good demographic dynamics It is a place with a good school population and we hope that this success will continue to attract interest so that students can be educated here,” Radu Dudau concluded MET Group is the first to install Megapack battery in Hungary as part of the innovation project being implemented at the gas fired Dunamenti Power Plant The energy storage unit will be installed in the summer of 2022 Similarly to MET Group, actors in the energy sector are reporting increasingly ambitious sustainability measures worldwide, and power plants producing renewable energy are being installed at an increasingly fast rate As production is weather-dependent and therefore unpredictable equipment that provides flexibility and energy-saving solutions plays a key role in balancing supply and demand Tesla is a trailblazer and innovator in the battery-based energy storage sector and this will be the first Megapack battery in Hungary The close to 4 MW (maximum performance) and 8 MWh (storage capacity) Tesla Megapack has a two-hour duration time this provides a possibility for the more efficient system integration of renewable energy producers The contracted investment project will be one of the key elements of MET Group’s R&D project launched in April 2021 will be a prototype for industrial-quantity applications MET Group has launched an R&D project in Hungary to examine how energy storage and software solutions can help solve the country’s problems with intermittent and weather dependent renewable generation The project has been launched in tandem with the software company Navitasoft with the work being carried out at the Dunamenti Power Plant in Szazhalombatta The project partners want to use the battery to develop a software solution for energy aggregators which will allow commercial and operational optimisation of MET Group’s asset portfolio The Tesla Megapack is large-scale rechargeable lithium-ion battery stationary energy storage product intended for use at battery storage power stations each Megapack can store up to 3 megawatt-hours of electricity Equinor joined the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping to accelerate the decarbonization of the shipping industry The multinational energy company brings extensive experience in large scale production and transport of maritime fuels and will contribute with valuable expertise in key areas like safety in operation and design carbon capture storage design and operation and renewable energy integration including floating wind technology Equinor is both a producer and a supplier of fuel to the maritime sector and has worked systematically on reducing its carbon intensity by developing new types of vessels and using alternative fuels CEO Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping As a major producer of maritime fuels and maritime player Equinor has invaluable knowhow and has already shown enormous energy and willingness to accelerate the transition with promising projects and we are looking very much forward seeing the synergies we can create together.” “We are very pleased in joining the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping The Center is complementary to other initiatives and organizations we are engaged in Equinor is working to decarbonize shipping we will develop new solutions contributing to substantial emission reductions,” said Heidi Aakre With 100.000 ships consuming around 300 million metric tonnes of fuel p.a global shipping accounts for around 3% of global carbon emissions a share that is likely to increase as other industries tackle climate emissions in the coming decades Achieving the long-term target of decarbonization requires new fuel types and a systemic change within the industry which provides an opportunity to secure broad-based industry adoption of new technology and fuels To accelerate the development of viable technologies a coordinated effort within applied research is needed across the entire supply chain Industry leaders play a critical role in ensuring that laboratory research is successfully matured to scalable solutions matching the needs of industry new legislation will be required to enable the transition towards decarbonization About the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping is a not-for-profit independent research- and development center working across the energy- and shipping sectors with industry the Center explores viable decarbonization pathways facilitates the development and implementation of new energy technologies; builds confidence in new concepts and their supply chains; and accelerates the transition by defining and maturing viable strategic pathways to the required systemic change The Center is placed in Copenhagen but work with partners globally The Center was founded in 2020 with a start-up donation of DKK 400m from the A.P Corporate Partners to the Center include: Alfa Laval Source: Equinor Alfa Laval has announced two of its PureSOx scrubbers for exhaust gas cleaning have been used in the Ever Ace that just set sail from Samsung Heavy Industries Ever Ace is the first of 12 vessels planned for Evergreen’s record-breaking A Class which comprises container vessels of nearly 24,000 TEU capacity Powered by a massive main engine of nearly 60 MW it also has five auxiliary engines of 4.5 MW each the Ever Ace has two PureSOx scrubbers on board – one for the main engine and one for the auxiliaries As hybrid scrubbers that can operate in open or closed loop they require effective cleaning of the closed-loop circulation water This is provided by a shared water cleaning system (WCS) based primarily on high-speed centrifugal separation Reliability and low operating costs are always important factors in Evergreen’s decision-making especially Alfa Laval’s strong references for PureSOx and water cleaning technology played a crucial role Alfa Laval’s WCS design was recently updated providing additional modular options to ensure a compact and cost-effective fit it allows for greater capacity by adding flocculation to the centrifugal separation at its heart This is the case on the Ever Ace, where the WCS incorporates three high-speed separators, flocculator modules and a feed pump. Though it serves two PureSOx scrubbers with a combined exhaust gas cleaning capacity of almost 200 t/h the WCS has a minimal footprint in relation to its high efficiency Just as the Ever Ace is the first in its class the shared WCS was the first with the new design to be commissioned by the PureSOx team The limited gas load during a short shipyard sea trial was not enough to test the full WCS cleaning capacity so Alfa Laval experts followed Ever Ace during a September journey from the UK to Germany and the Netherlands This provided time for a more thorough WCS evaluation as well as for crew training and the resolution of open items after leaving the shipyard the WCS could be observed during longer periods with high engine loads Cleaning performance was high throughout the voyage even when much larger amounts of circulation water reached the WCS Evergreen can be confident of future compliance with PureSOx Alfa Laval’s PureSOx removes sulphur oxides from the ship’s exhaust gas by scrubbing it with seawater or freshwater The unique hybrid design of Alfa Laval’s PureSOx gives both environmental and economic advantages Alfa Laval is active in the areas of Energy and service to a wide range of industries in some 100 countries The company is committed to optimizing processes and driving progress – always going the extra mile to support customers in achieving their business goals and sustainability targets Alfa Laval’s innovative technologies are dedicated to purifying promoting more responsible use of natural resources They contribute to improved energy efficiency and heat recovery the hydrogen storage pilot project in the Etzel caverns in the German state of Lower Saxony This was announced by STORAG ETZEL and Gasunie this participation is a first step towards developing hydrogen storage facilities in Germany which stands for H2 CAvern Storage Transition aim to enable large-scale hydrogen storage in the salt caverns near Etzel The first step involves a pilot project in which two of the existing salt caverns will be made suitable for hydrogen storage and connected by an above-ground installation Gasunie will be responsible for the above ground facility to connect the two hydrogen caverns The pilot project is expected to be ready in 2026 The location of the storage caverns in Etzel is strategically located with a perfect connection to the Dutch and German hydrogen market near the future Gasunie hydrogen network Hyperlink and the Energy-Hub Port of Wilhelmshaven “Hydrogen is going to play an important role in the future energy system especially for making industry more sustainable large-scale hydrogen storage is a crucial component Gasunie has the ambition to develop salt caverns for hydrogen storage in both the Netherlands and Germany,” Han Fennema STORAG ETZEL is delighted that Gasunie has chosen to join the H2CAST project in Etzel which already started early 2022 “The industrial scalability of the underground storage is unique for the H2CAST pilot Gasunie will optimally strengthen the project consortium which is of strategic importance for the Etzel site The pilot project is a starting point for a future value chain to enable the ramp-up of the international hydrogen market,” Boris Richter H2CAST Etzel is co-funded by the state of Lower Saxony and the Federal Government of Germany STORAG ETZEL and Gasunie are working together in this pilot project with the partners The H2CAST Etzel project is intended to demonstrate the feasibility of large-volume underground storage of hydrogen and to prove the suitability of the salt caverns in Etzel for hydrogen storage Operational hydrogen storage operations will be tested and serve to build a hydrogen service industry H2CAST stands for H2 CAvern Storage Transition the conversion of existing caverns and facilities in Etzel for the future necessary storage of hydrogen as a building block for a future energy system ‘H2CAST Etzel’ will pave the way for an even more ambitious development project by STORAG ETZEL as a second logical step for a sustainable site transformation and strategic positioning of the Etzel cavern facility for the coming European hydrogen economy The focus of this follow-up project is on the conversion and expansion of the existing cavern field including above ground processing facilities and the pipeline infrastructure for the Northwest Europe region in view of the growing storage demand for H2 The goal is the regional development and establishment of an H2 cluster by connecting the Etzel storage facility and the Wilhelmhaven region with access to wind energy H2 production and the industry to the planned initial hydrogen network in Northwest Europe the so-called ‘European Hydrogen backbone’ This pipeline development project is regarded as the basis project for a joint European hydrogen supply from Hamburg to Paris and encompasses four countries STORAG ETZEL will initially continue and focus on the research project H2CAST Etzel where they will work together at the regional level with industrial partners the municipal bodies and business promoters to leverage synergies and further develop existing initiatives and technically leading provider for the new energy industry including for large-volume storage of renewable energy sources Gasunie is a European energy-infrastructure company Gasunie’s network is one of the largest high-pressure pipeline networks in Europe comprising over 17,000 kilometres of pipeline in the Netherlands and northern Germany Gasunie provides natural and green gas transport services through its subsidiaries (GTS) in the Netherlands and Gasunie Deutschland in Germany With its cross-border gas infrastructure and services which has become the leading European gas trading point Gasunie also provides other gas infrastructure services Gasunie wants to help accelerate the transition to a CO2-neutral energy supply and believes that gas-related innovations for instance in the form of renewable gases such as hydrogen and green gas Both existing and new gas infrastructure play a key role here Gasunie also plays an active part in the development of other energy infrastructure to support the energy transition