SOFIA ENERGY CENTRE LTD.

Sofia Energy Centre Ltd. and the Municipality of Asenovgrad are participants in the project SmartEnCity, funded under the initiative “Smart Cities and Communities”, part of the Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 of the European Union. Asenovgrad is a follower city, thus being among the first three cities in Bulgaria (together with Sofia and Bourgas) and 57 cities from across Europe, which take part in this initiative and collaborate with each other. The goal of the project is to facilitate municipalities in becoming sustainable, smart, engaged and resource-efficient territories. This is going to be achieved through integrated planning and the implementation of measures for improving energy efficiency in key sectors of consumption in small and medium-sized European cities in combination with the application of renewable energy and demonstration of its benefits. Sofia Energy Centre Ltd. is a partner and consultant of the Municipality of Asenovgrad in the implementation of the project.

The project SmartEnCity has a duration of 66 months (February 2016 – July 2021) and it is carried out by a consortium of 35 partners from 6 countries (Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Italy). The project foresees the elaboration and implementation of an adapted systematic approach in three lighthouse cities: Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain), Tartu (Estonia) and Sonderborg (Denmark). The approach will then be replicated in two follower cities: Lecce (Italy) and Asenovgrad (Bulgaria).

The decision to include small and medium-sized European cities is a result of the main idea of the initiative that every city, regardless of its size, can adopt sustainable development policies.

Within the scope of the project SmartEnCity Network is established. Interested local authorities, urban planners and other experts can join the network and take part in the exchange of information and the decision-making process on the topic of sustainable urban development.

Additional information can be found on the website of the project:   www.smartencity.eu