Energy Efficiency

Lovech in Bulgaria to renew public lighting in EUR 596 million project

Lovech in Bulgaria to renew public lighting with European funds

Photo: Jim Black from Pixabay

Published

March 18, 2020

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Published:

March 18, 2020

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MPEnergi from Norway is about to replace 4,483 street lamps with LED technology and install management software and equipment. The municipality northeast of the capital of Bulgaria is counting on cofinancing from EEA Grants for the modernization of its public lighting and a small solar power plant.

The Municipal Council of Lovech in Bulgaria has pushed back some of its schedule due to the spread of the coronavirus, but it kept today’s extraordinary session in the calendar as it intends to vote on a public lighting project. Mayor Kornelia Marinova proposed the replacement of 4,483 lamps in the town in the north-central part of the country and the nearby Doyrentsi village.

The program for rehabilitation and modernization of local infrastructure should be cofunded via EEA Grants, a mechanism financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway in cooperation with the European Union, the municipal website said. The draft budget is BGN 1.16 million or EUR 596 million. EEA stands for European Economic Area. Norway also has a separate program, Norway Grants.

The project grant is up to 100% of the eligible project costs and between EUR 200,000 and EUR 600,000. The endeavor was filed under the Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Security scheme for Bulgaria. It includes a roof solar power plant on as much as 1,160 square meters on a building of a former school.

Lovech, nicknamed Lilac City of Bulgaria, established the partnership for the public lighting overhaul with MPEnergi AS from Norway. The firm was founded in 1996. It is also active in energy efficiency of buildings and central heating and setting up GPS systems.

The partner will provide training, worth 5.75% of the budget, according to the documentation. The data show works in the area, 160 kilometers northeast of Sofia, must be complete within 18 months since the contract comes into force.

The preliminary study got the green light from the Sustainable Energy Development Agency (SEDA). The new LED equipment is envisaged with luminous efficacy of at least 120 lumens per watt, voltage suppressors, programmable controllers, managing and monitoring solutions.

Among other innovations, Lovech has installed free high-speed wireless internet stations in public places with the help of the European Commission’s WiFi4EU initiative.

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