SMEPlus project partners met online on 29 June to discuss energy efficiency in SMEs with Romanian regional stakeholders. The focus of the meeting was on good practices in energy policies and top needs and barriers faced by SMEs & policy owners.

The meeting took place from 9:30 – 12:00 and attracted 30 participants from all European regions participating in the SMEPlus project. An intervention from the South West Oltenia region identified the needs and barriers the policy owners face when supporting the industrial SMEs: legislative, institutional, technical, financial and communication levels.  Further, good practices and examples from Sweden (Energig energy networks, Enerlean), Netherlands (stimulation & law enforcement measures) and Germany (PIUS support programme) followed.

Furthermore, the SMEPlus partners welcomed and leaned from the regional stakeholders from Romania. The following good practices were shared by the Romanian stakeholders:

  • Craiova Large Infrastructure Directorate - Study case in reducing energy consumption at the level of industrial consumers - Heineken Romania SA, Craiova Production Plant;
  • Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies - Fuel cells and hydrogen-based unconventional energy technologies;
  • Faculty of Electrical Engineering / University of Craiova - Energy audit technique to study energy efficiency in industrial processes.

This online event is an excellent example of knowledge sharing. The meeting marked the end of the second semester for the SMEPlus project. The SMEPlus partners evaluate the energy efficiency policy instruments in their regions: process and impact, barriers and drivers for energy efficiency as well as major benefits.