Greenpeace report ranks Bucharest last in European urban heating transition

Bucharest ranked last alongside Athens and Rome in a Greenpeace assessment of 15 European cities’ progress towards sustainable urban heating. The report cited the Romanian capital’s dependence on gas, lack of an integrated strategy, and slow pace of building renovation.

Stockholm, Paris, and Vienna led the ranking due to their long-term strategies, investment in district heating, and social protection measures.

Copenhagen and Amsterdam were also found to be making progress, while Budapest, Prague, Berlin, Warsaw, and Brussels remained at different stages of an incomplete transition.

Greenpeace noted that Bucharest has an extensive district heating network and support programmes for vulnerable households. Significant investments in modernising the network are planned and already have financing, but the system continues to perform poorly and remains far from eliminating fossil fuels.

“Bucharest still has no clear deadline for phasing out fossil-fuel heating, while the three planned fossil-gas cogeneration plants increase the risk of long-term dependence on gas,” Greenpeace coordinator Alin Tănase said.

“Meanwhile, solutions such as geothermal energy, large-capacity heat pumps, and waste-heat recovery remain used only to a limited extent.”

The report highlighted projects in other European cities that could offer examples for Bucharest. Heat pumps, insulation, and solar installations have helped lower energy bills in Paris, Vienna, and Madrid, while power-to-heat facilities in Berlin and Amsterdam have reduced exposure to fluctuations in energy prices.

Greenpeace said the transition requires clear deadlines, restrictions on new gas-based investments, and more strategic use of available financing. EU instruments such as the Modernisation Fund and Social Climate Fund could support home renovation and energy-efficiency measures while assisting households affected by energy poverty, it added.