Ploiești /10 Administration, with EU Funding
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1 The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views and position of the Table of Contents Executive Directors of the World Bank, the European Union, or the Government of Romania. Executive Summary /1 The TRACE diagnostic is part of work done under the Romania Regional Development Program – a Reimbursable Advisory Background /4 Service activity, undertaken by the World Bank at the request National Legislation Regarding Energy /4 of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Background Ploiești /10 Administration, with EU funding. The report was written by a team comprised of Manuela Mot, Ranjan Bose, Sebastian Sustainable Ploiești /14 Burduja, and Marcel Ionescu-Heroiu. Cristina Zirimis has Public Transport /14 provided logistical and administrative support throughout the Private Transport /19 process. The team would like to thank the colleagues at the Municipal Buildings /22 Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration Street lighting /23 (particularly Ionuţ Trincă and Bogdan Ţigău), as well as the Power Sector /25 colleagues in the Ploiești City Hall and the Prahova County Water and Waste Water/26 Council, who supported the team throughout. Solid waste /29 District Heating /33 TRACE (Tool for Rapid Assessment of City Energy) was developed by ESMAP (Energy Sector Management Assistance Energy Efficiency Recommendations /37 Program), a unit of the World Bank, and is available for Energy Efficiency Strategy and Action Plan /38 download and free use at: http://esmap.org/TRACE District Heating /39 Urban Transport /41 Municipal Buildings /48 Street Lighting/49 Annexes /51 1 Executive Summary performed in the district heating sector, there are still obsolete heating pipes that generate water leaks and heat losses. On the other hand, After the 1989 Revolution, Romania began its transition from a centralized although the water system is covering the entire city and all water connections are metered, some deteriorated parts of the water system to a market-run economy. Today the country is a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO. After more than a decade of economic infrastructure are prompting losses in the network. restructuring and political change, the country has taken significant steps But there are significant things Ploiești has accomplished in the towards catching up with the economic performance of more developed past few years. Perhaps the most noteworthy fact is that the district EU countries. Although radical reforms brought about significant changes heating is among the top most efficient systems in the country, and as a in the recent years, the standard of living of Romanians is still behind the consequence, residents in Ploiești pay the lowest price for heat in the EU average. country. All streets in the city are lit, and old inefficient bulbs have been replaced with modern, efficient ones. The transport network is well Ploiești is one of cities where such disparities are less pronounced, because of its proximity to București (the richest area in developed, connecting the city from one side to another, and with a Romania), because of its strategic trade location (along two pan-European number of recent upgrades of the rolling stock. The generation of solid transport corridors) and, not in the least, because of the revenues waste is lower than in other cities in the region, selective collection is generated by the oil refineries surrounding the city. Benefiting from the implemented at the household and residential buildings level and is going expansion of București’s economic base, Ploiești has had a growing on well, and the landfill located outside the city is one of the most well economy in the past years, although it has suffered from demographic performing in Eastern Europe. As elsewhere in Romania, most of the municipal buildings need rehabilitation work to decrease energy decline as well as from the recent economic crisis. Currently, the city is part of the most densely populated and economically most well consumption and reduce heating bills. Nonetheless, thermal rehabilitation developed areas in the country, along the București-Ploiești-Brașov of residential buildings as well as some of the municipal buildings growth corridor. improved the overall energy efficiency. Electricity tariffs are regulated by the national government. The government is still subsidizing the energy The economic development in the transition period after the end of the communist regime has led to significant changes in the social and price for domestic users. However, the liberalization of the energy sector economic life of the residents of Ploiești. Some of these developments has already started for the industrial users and will continue in 2013 with have positively affected people’s life, whereas a few came along with non-domestic clients. Subsidies are going to be gradually eliminated by some inconveniences and difficulties. the end of 2017, when the liberalization of the market will be complete. For instance, like everywhere in Romania, the increasing number The central government is encouraging the energy production from of cars in Ploiești caused heavy traffic congestion, high fuel consumption, renewable sources, and Green Certificates are provided to such producers. and significant greenhouse emissions. This has led to difficulties and inconveniences in commuting for both public and private transport, an The local government of Ploiești has a number of ambitious area that the city government should address. The city requires more projects to develop the city, improve quality of life for its residents, and parking areas, new rolling stock for public transport with efficient fuel not the least, open the doors for more energy efficiency projects. Such plans include the rehabilitation of the tram lines, developing non- consumption, and more pedestrian friendly areas. Municipal buildings should be audited to identify the right measures to improve energy pedestrian networks, building park-and-ride facilities, purchasing non- consumption in education and health care facilities administered by the polluting and energy efficiency buses, improving the street lighting City Hall. Despite of modernization and rehabilitation work that has been system, and increasing the efficiency of the waste water system. 1 The location of Ploiesti along the București-Ploiești-Brașov District Heating Maintenance and Upgrade growth corridor and its proximity to București should enable the capital of The district heating system in Ploiești is perhaps the most performing the most urbanized county to continue on a positive development path. system in the country, and the city residents pay the lowest price for heat. This report is based on the implementation of the TRACE tool in February The improvements and rehabilitation work on the district heating system 2013, and it outlines some ideas on what the city could further do to performed in the last period of time have made the centralized heating improve its energy efficiency performance. more efficient, with the number of clients connected to the thermal plant remaining relatively stable in the recent years (unlike what has happened TRACE (Tool for Rapid Assessment of City Energy) is a simple and quick in many other cities). However, there still remains much to be done. Most diagnostic tool that is used to assess a city’s energy performance in six importantly, it is important to continue the rehabilitation and upgrade of service areas (urban transport, municipal buildings, water and the network, including the modernization of boilers and pipelines, in order wastewater, solid waste management, public lighting, and power and to diminish the heat loss and improve the overall efficiency of the system. heat) and to provide recommendations for improving energy efficiency. In However, such investments should be weighed very carefully, to ensure each of the service areas, TRACE uses a benchmarking algorithm to that both economic and social benefits can be maintained, including lower evaluate energy cost savings potential, and factoring in the level of operating costs, as well as low heating tariffs. influence of local authorities, it prioritizes what the authorities should do according to where the biggest savings can be achieved. Non-motorized Transport To complete data collection and to get a more comprehensive idea of The local government should encourage non-motorized transport options issues in the city, a World Bank field trip was organized in February 2013. in the city and step up efforts to improve and expand related The implementation of TRAC in Ploiești was carried out in close infrastructure. The main priorities in this respect should be on developing collaboration with local authorities and public and private utility services more pedestrian areas and expanding the bike path network. From an providers. At the end of this quantitative and qualitative analysis, several energy efficiency perspective, the more people that walk or bike, recommendations were drawn out. These recommendations are translates into less people that use private vehicles, and consequently into summarized below. a lower fuel consumption. Investments in non-pedestrian network can help raise the quality of life in Ploiești, and they encourage business Energy Efficiency Action Plan development in and around the newly established pedestrian areas. The first recommendation suggested to the local authorities in Ploiești was the development of a proper energy