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EBRD and EU celebrate Romanian firms’ use of energy efficiency and renewable energy

 

The Sustainable Energy Excellence Awards, held in Bucharest, recognised Romania’s most successful sustainable energy projects financed by the EBRD and the EU.

“We celebrate with Romanian companies who demonstrated that investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy generate economic, environmental, energy security and social benefits to Romania,” said James Hyslop, EBRD Director for Romania.

The winners of the EU-EBRD Sustainable Energy Excellence Awards 2015 are:

  • The Green Award for energy efficiency in agriculture went to cereal grower SC Comcereal SA, Focşani, Vrancea, which invested €2.4 million in its bakery, new agricultural machinery and a diesel-fired cereal dryer with a wood-fired system. Finance was provided through BCR and BRD Groupe Société Générale.
  • The Bright Ideas Award for intelligent investments in sustainable energy went to fruit and vegetable processor SC Alex Star SRL, Curtea de Argeș. With a €65,500 loan from UniCredit Ţiriac Bank the company added a new autoclave to a fruit and vegetable sterilisation line, cutting down energy consumption by 34 per cent.
  • The Tasty Investment Award for sustainable energy investment in the food and drink sector went to SC Agropan Impex SRL, Iaşi, a bakery which used a €232,000 loan through OTP Bank to upgrade its equipment. It saved 40 per cent of energy per kilogram of baked products.
  • The Heavy Metal Award for sustainable energy investment in the heavy industry and metallurgy sectors went to SC STC Invest SRL, an ironware manufacturer from Hereclean, Sălaj, which cut energy consumption by 86 per cent at its painting line using a €98,000 loan through Banca Transilvania.
  • The Movers and Shakers Award for investment in energy-efficient lifting, handling and mixing equipment went to SC Auto Europa SA, a vehicle-servicing firm from Râmnicu Vâlcea, that used a €26,000 loan via CEC Bank to replace car elevators and air compressors and reduced electricity consumption by 47 per cent.
  • The Fantastic Plastic Award for sustainable energy investment in the plastic sector was won by SC Electroargeş SA, a producer of electrical appliances and power tools based in Curtea de Argeş. The company benefited from a €700,000 loan through BCR. It invested in upgrading eight plastic injection machines, cutting electricity consumption by 59 per cent per tonne of products.
  • The Producers’ Awards for sustainable energy by industrial production companies went to:
  • SC Corom Export SRL, a manufacturer of wooden furniture from Dăești, Vâlcea. The company invested €303,000 – a loan received via UniCredit Ţiriac Bank – and achieved 54 per cent energy savings by upgrading woodworking machinery and a humidification system.
  • SC Norada SA, a menswear manufacturer from Odorheiu-Secuiesc, Harghita, which replaced sewing and pressing equipment, thanks to a €182,000 loan via Raiffeisen Bank. The investment resulted in 56 per cent energy savings.
  • The Renewable Energy Award was offered to plastics producer SC Diaplast Production SRL, from Mărăcineni, Argeș County. The company installed a 100 kW photovoltaic system on its roof, introduced a LED lighting system and replaced five air compressors, thereby combining both energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions. The project was financed with a €169,000 loan via BCR.
  • Three Trail Blazer Awards for leading the way by investing in sustainable energy went to:
  • SC Luxten Lighting SA and the City of Bucharest for installing energy-efficient lighting systems in the Dorobanţi area. This was the first deal to be financed using the EU-EBRD Municipal Finance Facility for Energy Efficiency (MFFEE), an experimental facility piloted in Romania by the EBRD together with BRD Groupe Société Générale.
  • SC Palrom Products SRL, Brad, Hunedoara, a lumber and wood-processing company, which replaced 30-year-old cutting and splitting machines with a new processing line, lowering specific electricity use by 81 per cent. This was the first RoSEFF leasing investment, financed using Banca Transilvania’s RoSEFF facility by BT Leasing.
  • SC Welthaus SRL, Zalău, Sălaj, a manufacturer of energy-efficient sealed double-glazed windows and doors and the first company to take a RoSEFF business expansion loan for a manufacturer of energy efficiency products, financed with a credit of €183,000 from Banca Transilvania.
  • The Leadership Award for sustainable energy investment by a company with a female CEO went to Mariana Turcin, of Spicul Turcin from Păuliș, Arad County. The company lowered CO2 emissions by 43 per cent by investing in energy efficient tractors and a cereal dryer, using a €602,000 loan via BRD Groupe Société Générale.
  • Two Special Awards for extraordinary investments in Sustainable Energy were awarded to:
  • SC OMV Petrom Marketing SA, which installed LED lighting at 322 filling stations, resulting in electricity savings of 53 per cent, using a €2.1 million loan through Raiffeisen Bank.
  • Pulp and paper producer SC Romwelle PM SA, from Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Mehedinți, which used a €3 million euro loan through Banca Transilvania to renovate its factory using energy-efficient equipment. It has also eliminated the use of heavy fuel oil. As a result of these investments the company’s CO2 emissions were reduced by 93 per cent.
  • The EBRD also awarded Sustainable Energy Excellence Awards to all seven partner banks, in recognition of their work in bringing sustainable energy financing opportunities to their customers.