Petrol and Municipality of Izola sign concession contract for renovation and regulation of street lighting system

On Wednesday, 28 August 2019, Head of Energy and Environmental Systems at Petrol Janez Grošelj and Mayor of the Municipality of Izola Danilo Markočič signed a concession contract for the renovation and regulation of the street lighting system in the Municipality of Izola. In this project the municipality will be switching to energy-efficient public lighting, with an annual savings of at least 802 MWh of electricity. This will mean an annual reduction of 425,060 kg of CO2, which would require 20,308 trees to offset.

The objectives of the upgrade to the street lighting in Izola are to reduce environmental light pollution and electricity consumption at the same time. The Petrol company was selected as the concessionaire on the basis of a public call for tenders, and the project is valued at EUR 854,215.95 including VAT. The concession contract will run for a period of 15 years.

As the concessionaire, Petrol will replace 1,765 inefficient and environmentally-unfriendly lights with new LED lights, redesign the switchboard and carry out anti-corrosion measures and painting of the most critical street lighting poles. The contract includes maintenance of the street lighting system and the supply of electricity, where at least 40 percent of the power will be supplied from renewable resources or highly efficient cogeneration.

The project will result in electricity savings of at least 802 MWh per year, with net savings for the concession grantor (the municipality) of 10.5 percent. All of the new lights feature independent and automatic adjustment of light emission, which in practice means that light emission will be lower between midnight and five a.m., thus decreasing the amount of light pollution. This will also lead to additional electricity savings. All of the lights will be compliant with the Decree on the Restriction of Light Pollution, and warm white 3000 kelvin bulbs will be used.

At a press conference held on the occasion of the signing of the contract, Head of Energy and Environmental Systems Janez Grošelj said: “Today, the Municipality of Izola and its partner Petrol have done something nice for the environment as well.” He was joined by Mayor of the Municipality of Izola Danilo Markočič, who stated: “The signing of this contract gives Izola the opportunity to be an environmentally friendly municipality, and we will no longer pollute the environment with the light emitted by the old lights.”

Why replace the street lighting?

Petrol is helping cities and regions illuminate public areas in an energy efficient manner through public-private partnerships. Through the digitalisation of the lighting infrastructure, efficient and energy-saving street lighting also provides benefits for users of public spaces, increased traffic safety and general safety, and reduces energy consumption, thus decreasing both the environmental burden and the amount of environmental light pollution. Petrol is providing the necessary investment capital to the cities and regions, as well as its expertise in this field. It is assuming all risks associated with the implementation of the entire project and is ensuring the achieving of savings and other important contractual parameters, such as illumination levels and error removal response times.

The lighting infrastructure is one of the most important factors in the development of the concept of the smart city. In the last few years, smart lighting has begun to play an increasingly important role in cities and urban centres, as efficient and smart lighting is one of the key building blocks for the informatisation of smart cities. The lights have increased functionality, while their potential uses and connectivity are increased.

Tango technical information system

In order to capture data in or near real time and to make use of it going forward, the Petrol company has developed a platform called Tango, which offers cities, regions, industries, the public and service sectors and corporate clients the possibility of targeted and optimal management and maintenance of lighting systems.