Plzeň will prepare a competition for the renewal, modernization, and operation of lighting worth up to 1.5 billion.

Plzeň - Plzeň will prepare a competition for the complete renovation, modernization, and operation of public lighting worth one to 1.5 billion crowns. The price will include, among other things, the replacement of more than 23,000 lights and over 15,000 poles. The preparation of the tender process for the implementation of the project was approved today at an extraordinary meeting by all present councilors, three abstained, ČTK found out.

The project will take the form of a PPP project, based on cooperation between the private and public sectors. According to the city's leadership, it is the most suitable for large projects with investment costs over one billion crowns. The renovation, which is set to start in January 2027, will last four years. The modernized system is expected to save the city 40 to 60 percent of its current electricity consumption, according to current estimates.

"It is crucial that the entire process is economically advantageous for the city and, last but not least, also technically feasible. We choose the PPP project model based on the recommendation of the renowned consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, which we hired for a detailed assessment of the project and which prepared a feasibility study," said Mayor Roman Zarzycký (ANO).

Advisors evaluated not only the PPP project but also the financing of the project by the city itself, including through loans. "The option of finding a private partner turned out to be the most economically suitable solution," said the spokesperson for the magistrate, Eva Barborková. The contract with the private company is expected to be concluded for 15 years and will encompass both the modernization of public lighting and its operation and maintenance.

"The result should be a modern public lighting system that will be about half as energy-efficient as the current one and will illuminate with the right spectrum to be environmentally friendly. For example, it will allow us to gently adjust the light flow, thus regulating the intensity of lighting in specific parts of the street and locality," the mayor stated. According to him, this will contribute to reducing light pollution.

Plzeň pays tens of millions of crowns annually for the operation and maintenance of the public lighting system, and expenses are increasing every year. In 2023, it spent 41 million crowns on electricity for public lighting, while last year it was already 62 million. For regular maintenance and emergency repairs, 29 million was spent from the budget two years ago, while last year it exceeded 35 million crowns. The total costs last year thus increased year-on-year by 40 percent to over 97 million crowns.