Leading the shift to efficient cities: Veolia’s roadmap in Romania

In a context of increasing climate pressure and rising energy instability, Veolia Romania is accelerating investments in technologies that make cities more efficient, resilient and affordable for their residents. As one of the most established urban utility providers in the region, the company is now evolving from traditional infrastructure to fully intelligent, data-driven networks.

In an interview with Romania Insider, Irina Munteanu, Deputy CEO of Veolia Romania, explains how the group’s global transformation strategy is being adapted locally, what “efficient cities” mean in practical terms, and how Veolia’s 25 years of local operational experience through Apa Nova, positions it as a long-term strategic partner for municipalities and local partners. The goal is clear: integrate water, energy, and digital technologies to create urban systems that are cleaner, more resilient, and more cost-efficient for millions of people. When you look at Bucharest and other major Romanian cities, how do you define an “efficient city” in practical terms, and where do you see them today on that trajectory? Irina Munteanu: An efficient city delivers predictable, reliable services at optimal costs, even as climate or urban pressure grows. It requires long-term, data-driven planning, not reactive measures. Bucharest has advanced significantly: water network performance has now reached 80%, comparable to that of major European capitals, after 25 years of sustained investment. Presently, the priority is scaling intelligent systems - monitoring sensors, digital modelling, and integrated water-energy solutions. Other cities face similar concerns and climate challenges, requiring long-term, technology-enabled investments to remain resilient. Veolia talks globally about a new step forward: “from infrastructure to intelligence”. What does this mean concretely in Romania, and how does it change the way you manage urban water and energy networks? Irina Munteanu: Infrastructure remains essential, but data, prediction and real-time control increasingly drive its operation. In Romania, our networks are managed through sensors, SCADA and digital mapping, enabling early anomaly detection, lower energy consumption and faster team coordination. This shift—from repairing to anticipating—reflects Veolia’s broader direction across Europe, from Poznań’s digital district heating to our ambition to lead the development of urban energy systems by 2030. What are the key technologies, from sensors and AI to digital modelling, that are currently transforming your operations here, and how do they support faster, better-informed decision-making? Irina Munteanu: Real-time monitoring of thousands of parameters—pressure, flow, equipment behaviour—allows early detection and much faster response. GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping gives teams precise asset visibility, helping reduce incident response times in Bucharest by