The Municipality of Reșița, a city in Romania, has achieved a major milestone in its quest to become the 1st municipality in the country to become energy independent by securing technical approval for the connection for a 21 MW solar plant.
The solar project is planned to come up in an area of around 30 ha. Once commissioned, 10 MW of this capacity will supply clean electricity to the city's educational facilities, public lighting and public transport.
The remaining capacity will be connected to the grid operated by E-distribuție Banat, part of the Enel Group, by a new commercial entity set up by the city administration.
According to the city's Mayor Ioan Popa, the municipality will seek funding from the European Union for the project as well as issue green municipal bonds to finance the PV facility.
Earlier this year in January 2023, the Reșița city administration launched a tender for the construction of 20.12 MW solar capacity, to be funded by the EU, according to local media reports.
Romania is planning to launch large– scale solar and wind energy auctions in 2023 and in 2025 (see Romania Releases CfD Auction Schedule For 5 GW).