REHEATEAST Final Conference: Paving the Way for Renewable Heating in the Danube Region

The REHEATEAST project is set to host its Final Conference on May 27-28, 2026, at the Palatinus Grand Hotel in Pécs, Hungary. The first day of the event, held on Wednesday, May 27, is open to the public and focuses on the strategic landscape of District Heating and Cooling (DHC) in Europe and Hungary.

The morning session kicks off with high-level keynote speeches. Eloi Piel from Euroheat and Power will provide an online overview of European renewable DHC , while Dávid Kecskeméti of the Hungarian District Heating Association will discuss waste heat recovery. Completing the keynote panel, Gábor Szita, President of the Hungarian Geothermal Association, will present onsite regarding Hungary’s significant geothermal potential.

The program continues with a deep dive into the energy efficiency of building stocks across NetZero Cities. Participants will hear about urban energy management and climate initiatives from Katalin Döbrönte (Pécs), Antoniya Novakova (Gabrovo), Petra Šeme (Ljubljana), and representatives from Cluj-Napoca.

In the afternoon, the focus shifts to supply-side initiatives and technical innovation. Zorica Kurešić (Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency) will discuss geothermal energy development in Croatia, and Horia Ban (Romanian Geoexchange Society) will present a case study on a DHC plant in Stei, Romania. The day also features a series of rapid-fire presentations on EU-funded projects such as GreetGeo, HeatInvest, TRANSGEO (transforming abandoned wells), GeoBuilding, and waste heat integration strategies.

In contrast to the public-facing first day, the second day (May 28) is a dedicated partnership workshop. This session is reserved for project partners and Associated Strategic Partners (ASPs) to evaluate the REHEATEAST project's journey, discuss pilot testing outcomes, and engage in a World Café format to plan the policy uptake for renewable district heating across the Danube Region.

You may register here: https://forms.office.com/e/8xWvkRpey4?origin=lprLink