RPC Talks to Valentin Zaharia
Technical & Performance Director, Veolia Romania
Company Profile
Veolia România is part of Veolia’s global network, a world leader in delivering essential services (water, energy, waste) and driving ecological transformation. In Romania, our teams develop, build, and operate integrated water, wastewater, and energy solutions, helping municipalities and private clients meet modern sustainability requirements. By drawing on Veolia’s nearly two centuries of international expertise and blending it with 25 years of local know-how, we ensure top-tier efficiency and reliability in every project, while contributing to a positive environmental impact and stronger communities.
How does Veolia Integrated Renewable Energy Solution help real estate developers meet their ESG targets?
Veolia România, through its local ecosystem of companies, follows an approach that focuses on reducing carbon footprints, reusing resources and minimizing their usage and consumption, and enhancing cost efficiency. Moreover, when it comes to integrated renewable energy solutions, we showcase this strategy through our GeoExchange system, which harnesses shallow-ground geothermal energy in conjunction with high-efficiency heat pumps to provide heating, cooling, and domestic hot water.
By significantly lowering CO₂ emissions, often up to 90% compared to conventional systems, the GeoExchange solution can enable real estate developers to achieve stringent ESG benchmarks, attract green financing, and earn certifications such as nZEB, LEED or BREEAM. Beyond decarbonization, our integrated services also include long-term operation and maintenance, enabling continuous system performance, predictable energy costs, and transparent tracking of sustainability metrics. Moreover, another interesting feature is its versatility, as the solution is suitable for both new and existing buildings.
In which real estate projects has the Veolia Geoexchange solution been implemented and what are the advantages for the residents of those projects?
We have successfully introduced the GeoExchange technology in multiple residential projects in Bucharest and in multi-purpose developments around the country, such as retail, industrial, office and residential buildings, several airports (Sibiu, Satu Mare, Tuzla), private and public hospitals, and also in a very special project in Alba Iulia, an elderly care home, for which we designed and built a turnkey solution, reducing the reliance on traditional gas boilers by up to 85%.
The GeoExchange solution provides residents with lower and more predictable energy costs, higher comfort in the living spaces, and a considerably smaller carbon footprint. Furthermore, the system reduces operational costs by up to 50%, providing significant financial advantages.