The centralized district heating system in Bucharest has been, for decades, a crucial topic for the daily life of the city’s residents. Once considered one of the most advanced in Eastern Europe, the network has deteriorated over time, becoming today one of the most significant administrative and technical challenges for local authorities. Nearly a century old and impressively extensive, Bucharest’s heating network remains a symbol of aging infrastructure in urgent need of modernization.

How the district heating story began

The first plans for a centralized heating system in the capital emerged in the late 1950s, during a period of intense urban development. In 1959, the Institute for Energy Studies and Design (ISPE) drafted a plan for a unified system to provide hot water and heat to residential blocks and public institutions.

The project started with the modernization of the Grozăvești power plant, originally inaugurated in 1889 under the name “Grozăvești Hydroelectric Plant.” Over the following decades, new combined heat and power plants (CETs) were built — CET Titan and CET București Sud in 1964, CET București Vest in 1972, and CET Progresul in 1987. Together, they formed the city’s energy backbone, designed to provide heating comfort to hundreds of thousands of homes.

One of the largest networks in the world

With a total length of about 4,000 kilometers — including 1,000 km of primary and 3,000 km of secondary pipelines — Bucharest’s district heating network is the second largest in the world, after Moscow’s. The city operates over 1,000 thermal points that supply both residential buildings and public or commercial facilities.

However, despite its scale, most of the pipes are over 25 years old, and some have been in continuous operation for more than half a century. Heat loss, repeated breakdowns, and high maintenance costs have turned the system into a constant source of frustration for residents.

From RADET to Termoenergetica – a history of restructuring

After 1990, the city’s heating infrastructure was managed by RADET (Regia Autonomă de Distribuție a Energiei Termice), which oversaw production, transport, and distribution. Eventually, due to economic and administrative changes, production was transferred to Electrocentrale București (ELCEN) under the Ministry of Energy, while distribution remained with RADET.

Financial difficulties led to the collapse of the system. In 2019, RADET went bankrupt, followed by ELCEN entering insolvency. To avoid a total shutdown, the municipality established Termoenergetica București S.A., which took over the infrastructure and responsibility for providing hot water and heat to residents.

Today, Termoenergetica serves over 8,000 apartment buildings, 74 dormitories, and hundreds of public institutions, covering more than 90% of the city’s heating needs.

Ongoing problems – losses and frequent breakdowns

The heating network is severely affected by hot water losses due to corroded pipelines. In some areas, losses exceed 2,000 tons of water per hour, leading to low pressure and frequent interruptions. During winter, hundreds of buildings are left temporarily without heat or hot water, particularly in neighborhoods built before 1980.

In addition to technical decay, the system faces major debt issues. Termoenergetica owes large sums to ELCEN, which in turn has debts to gas suppliers. This financial “chain reaction” burdens the municipal budget and delays maintenance projects.

Modernization plans – promises and slow progress

Since the beginning of his term, Mayor Nicușor Dan has announced an ambitious modernization plan: replacing 300 kilometers of main pipelines within three years. However, progress has been slower than expected.

Currently, the Bucharest City Hall has signed contracts worth approximately €260 million, funded by the European Union, to rehabilitate 210 kilometers of the primary network. The work is scheduled to take four years and is largely carried out by Romanian companies.

Experts estimate that a complete replacement of the network would take at least two decades and require multi-billion-euro investments.

How much of the network was replaced during Nicușor Dan’s term

In an interview at the beginning of 2025, before assuming the presidency of Romania, Nicușor Dan stated that about 300 kilometers of the city’s 1,000-kilometer main heating network had been rehabilitated during his tenure. According to him, the current pace is around 70 kilometers per year, and half of the network could be fully modernized within the next three years.

“We’re advancing at a pace of 70 kilometers per year. That means that in three years, we’ll reach half — which actually accounts for 70–80% of potential breakdowns eliminated,” said Nicușor Dan, emphasizing that this progress far surpasses that of previous administrations: “5–6 kilometers per year under Oprescu, 15–16 under Firea.”

Areas with major repairs

The former mayor also mentioned significant improvements in several parts of the city:

“There are now entire areas that are doing very well. Ten years ago, heating failures were a citywide issue. Now, after three years of rehabilitation, we can clearly see the difference.”

He also explained that some works are postponed during the winter to avoid leaving residents without heating: “You can’t shut off people’s heat when it’s freezing outside. Breakdowns still occur, but we intervene preventively.”

How the heating system works

The centralized system consists of combined heat and power plants (CETs) that produce hot water and steam. The thermal agent is transported through the primary network to thermal points, where heat exchangers warm up the water in the secondary circuit, which then reaches apartments.

Although the system is energy-efficient in principle, losses in the network drastically reduce its performance. A modernized system could deliver the same amount of heat with much lower fuel consumption and reduced CO₂ emissions.

You might also be interested in:

Air pollution in November: how toxic Bucharest becomes once the heating season begins

Bucharest’s Mayors: From Communism to the Present Day

Between past and future – an infrastructure at a crossroads

Bucharest’s district heating network is both a technological legacy and a major challenge. While it still provides heat to over half a million homes, its current condition clearly shows the need for a deep structural overhaul.

Without substantial investment and a coherent long-term strategy, the city risks facing recurring breakdowns, losses, and rising energy bills. However, with full modernization, the network could become a model of urban efficiency — a bridge between the industrial heritage of the last century and the smart city of the future.