Families in five isolated houses in the mountain village of Valea Rotundă, Dealu Commune, Harghita County, which have never been electrified, spent the first winter holidays in their homes lit by electricity. This was made possible thanks to the „Energy for Life” project, carried out by Intelligent Energy Association with the support of partners, including the Federation of Oil and Gas Employers (FPPG). The beneficiaries of these phases implemented in December 2022 are people of all ages. The youngest inhabitant is 7 months old and the oldest is 74 years old, who for the first time in his life had light from light bulbs.
Nea Janos says he stayed in his parents' home, where he grew up with a brother and four sisters. Now he lives here with some of his children and his 7-month-old grandson. All his life he has lived by the light of kerosene lamps and, more recently, lanterns. It's been hard for him, so he's grateful for the unexpected help.
The hamlet where he lives is a small village on top of a mountain, over 700 meters above sea level. The houses are scattered hundreds of meters apart. It's called the Round Valley because the mountain ridge is round. The mayor of Dealu, Elemér-Imre Bálint, explained why this house has no electricity:
„Round Valley is a typical mountain hamlet. Until 6 years ago, we didn't even have a road to the hamlet, let alone electricity. In our development strategy, the people from the hamlet were also included, so that we could do something for them in terms of infrastructure. First we built a road with European funds, then we brought electricity, but not everywhere, because the money ran out and we were left with a few families”, the mayor told journalists present in the area, along with the Intelligent Energy Association.
Among the less fortunate, where public money has fallen short, was the baby's family. Thanks to the support provided by the Association and its partners in this project, the baby will be able to enjoy the light from the bulbs in the house, not the lamp.
Through the ”Energy for Life” project, the Intelligent Energy Association aimed both to attract the necessary funding to install photovoltaic panels in isolated homes that have never had electricity, and to raise awareness about the large number of non-electrified households in Romania today.
„I believe that it is the duty of all of us to get involved in projects that have an impact on society, projects that can make a difference in the lives of our fellow human beings and that at the same time have a strong social message. The sustainable development we all want can only be achieved by showing care for people and the environment. Through <> we have succeeded in changing the lives of the beneficiaries of this project for the better by bringing electricity into their homes for the first time, while using energy from renewable sources. As we said, <<Energy for Life>> is a project about people and with people. It is a project about people who didn't have electricity in their homes for a single day and with people who made things happen and made electricity reach their homes, whether they are sponsors, supporters or volunteers in our cause. We are grateful to all of them for their involvement, for bringing a ray of hope into the lives of the beneficiaries of the project and we hope that it will not stop here, but will become a tradition and that we will continue this project in the years to come”said Dumitru Chisăliță, President of the Intelligent Energy Association.
„The Oil and Gas Employers” Federation gets involved in as many projects as possible to support Romania's vulnerable consumers", said Alin Popescu, Head of Public Affairs, FPPG.
According to him, the share of energy poverty is unfortunately too high in Romania, which is why the Federation helps vulnerable consumers through such projects. grassroots projects. In addition, the oil and gas sector is one of the largest contributors to the state budget, from which support instruments are financed.
According to a Ministry of Energy estimate based on data collected from County Councils and Prefectures, in 2018 more than 52,000 households in the country were without electricity, many of them in remote areas.
