Romania launches EUR 56m geothermal funding scheme
Bucarest street, Romania (source: flickr/ Gian Luca Sgaggero, CC BY-ND 2.0)
Alexander Richter
4 Jun 2025
Romania opens EUR 56m state aid scheme to support geothermal heating and cooling projects, with applications accepted until the end of 2025.
Romania’s Ministry of Investments and European Projects (Ministerul Investi?iilor ?i Proiectelor Europene) has opened a funding scheme aimed at supporting investments in geothermal energy. The program is part of the country’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and will provide a total budget of EUR 56 million.
The fund can cover the following activities:
- construction, modernization and expansion of plants that produce thermal energy from geothermal water;
- networks that take thermal energy to the point of consumption – that is, to public buildings;
- drilling and equipment necessary for exploitation and injection of geothermal water, as well as heat exchange facilities;
- the machines and technical equipments required to produce thermal energy from geothermal sources.
The funding line is open exclusively to local authorities. The funding call will be open until the end of 2025. Each project can receive up to EUR 8 million in non-reimbursable grants.
This is one of the largest dedicated public funding initiatives for geothermal energy in Romania to date. It follows the country’s broader strategy to modernize district heating systems and meet EU decarbonization targets.
In a statement, Marcel Bolos, Minister of Investments and European Projects, mentioned Oradea as proof that European funds can be mobilized to enable geothermal heating projects in Romania. Oradea recently started operations of its first geothermal heating plant which now covers 15% of the city’s heat supply.
Source: MFE and Marcel Bolos via Facebook
