First major city to ration energy: 'Romania is in a very delicate situation. There will be no favored districts'

Iași, Romania's second-largest city, is implementing nighttime street light reductions to conserve energy during a national state of alert. Mayor Mihai Chirica announced the measure, which will save an estimated 10 MWh nightly, stating Romania faces a "very delicate" energy situation due to drought affecting the Danube River and impacting nuclear power production.

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Romania is in a very delicate energy situation. The low level of the Danube caused by drought has forced the shutdown of production at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant. The government has established a state of alert in the energy sector, and our duty, as the local administration, is to intervene preventively and responsibly.

The conservation effort will be applied uniformly across all city districts, ensuring no area receives preferential treatment. Chirica emphasized solidarity, stating, "We are all one community and we are going through this period together." Essential services will not be affected, with strict exceptions for hospital grounds, pedestrian and underground passages, and key central areas like Union Square, where lighting is vital for public safety and emergency response.

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Without favoritism – Uniform rule on street lighting. To avoid any inequity or impression of discrimination between districts, the decision to reduce nighttime street lighting will be applied uniformly and equitably across the entire public domain. There will be no favored or disadvantaged districts; we are all one community and we are going through this period together.

In response to the reduced visibility, local police will increase patrols in all neighborhoods. The mayor also appealed to citizens for vigilance, asking them to report any irregularities or suspicious situations to the Local Police dispatch. The decision follows a national energy alert declared by the government for August due to low energy production caused by drought.

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Strict exceptions related to safety. The reduction plan excludes areas where lighting is vital for life and safety. This includes hospital courtyards, where medical activity and ambulance access cannot be affected in any way, underground and pedestrian passages, to prevent any risk of accidents or crime, and major central points and pedestrian areas of interest, such as Union Square.