Resita, RO

Resita, the capital of the Caraş-Severin County, is located in the south-western part of Romania and has a population of approximately 73,280 inhabitants (according to the 2011 National Census). On its way to become a smart and sustainable city, Resita joined the Covenant of Mayors’ initiative in 2009 and is now working on the implementation of innovative solutions to reduce its energy consumption.

A number of dams and four small hydro-electric power plants in the area already supply the city with renewable energy. To further increase the share of renewable energy consumed in the city, the four hydropower plants have been upgraded in 2013 and now generate 20% more energy than before. In addition, a modernisation strategy for Resita’s district heating system has been implemented in order to limit energy losses and increase the efficiency of the network. Furthermore, the city has also implemented several measures to make mobility more sustainable within the municipality. To this end, the city is organising each year a ‘car free day’ and has already extended the network of bicycle lanes as well as the public transport network.

As a Replication city, Resita intends to discover the solutions for energy efficient district heating and renewable energy integration developed within the SINFONIA and EU-GUGLE pilot cities.