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Romanian company Green Tech International declared the start of implementation of a geothermal district heating project in the northern part of capital Bucharest. The future facility is set to supply over 595 GWh of thermal energy per year.
Geothermal well developer and operator Green Tech International announced within its preliminary 2025 earnings report that it would conduct a EUR 200 million investment in the modernization and decarbonization of Bucharest’s district heating system, called SACET. The project is for the integration of geothermal energy.
Existing geothermal wells in the northern part of the capital would be connected to a future geothermal plant of over 595 GWh in annual thermal energy output. Notably, it would correspond to some 70 MW in capacity. The new system will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 127,000 tons per year and avoid more than 1.9 million tons of CO₂ over the project’s assessment period, the management said.
Using local, tested resources to slash development risk
Green Tech International revealed that it applied for support via the European Union’s Modernisation Fund. The company, listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BSE or BVB), has 42 geothermal wells and 300 MW in operation for heat production.
“The benefits are direct and structural: reducing dependency on natural gas and exposure to CO₂ certificate price volatility, lowering thermal energy production costs, and ensuring long-term price stabilization for consumers. Furthermore, the use of a local resource that has already been drilled and tested significantly reduces development risks and accelerates implementation,” the report reads.
The company increased its annual operational turnover by 8% to RON 10.8 million (EUR 2.1 million), on an 8% rise in total operating revenue to RON 13.7 million.
Discussions are underway with local authorities in Timișoara, Oradea and a number of smaller towns
Profit before tax reached RON 2.2 million and net profit amounted to RON 530,000. Green Tech International cited higher operating expenses associated with a more intense development activity, alongside costs related to last year’s stock exchange listing.
The company is in discussions on geothermal district energy with Timișoara, Oradea and smaller towns near which it has geothermal wells.
Also of relevance, Bucharest’s district heating system operator Electrocentrale Bucharest – Electrocentrale Bucureşti (ELCEN) signed a memorandum of understanding in 2024 with Sage Geosystems on a feasibility study for up to 70 MW.
Green Tech International invests in hydroponic greenhouses with geothermal heating
Furthermore regarding Green Tech International, its subsidiary Horti Green Invest has just obtained the environmental permit from the Timiș Environmental Protection Agency (APM Timiș) for a project in Lovrin. The facility in Timiș county in Romania’s west would be a 19-hectare hydroponic geothermal greenhouse complex.
The firm intends to grow cherry tomatoes on 12 hectares and cocktail tomatoes on the remaining part. Green Tech International said it owns nine geothermal wells in the area, used both for sustainable greenhouse heating and for an advanced trigeneration system.
The gases extracted from geothermal water will power two 1.2 MW cogeneration systems, it revealed. The electricity would be for internal consumption, with the possibility of delivering the surplus to the grid.
That’s not all. Another new contract is for the modernization and expansion of a greenhouse complex in Ciocaia in Bihor county. The aim is to develop a nine-hectare greenhouse, also for cherry and cocktail tomatoes and a geothermal and hydroponic system. Horti Green Invest owns another 14 hectares of land in the same area in Romania’s northwest, at the border with Hungary.
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