LETA, January 28, 2026
In Latvia, the modernization of the lighting system has been completed this January on 52 sections of state roads, implementing light regulation or dimming functionality, informed the state-owned company “Latvijas valsts ceļi” (LVC).
Last year, a total of 1,730 old sodium lamps across the state road network were replaced with LED lamps featuring dimming capabilities, thereby reducing electricity costs and improving lighting quality.
The new LED lamps are equipped with lighting intensity regulation, allowing adjustment of illumination to the actual situation. Specifically, lighting is provided at maximum power until 22:00; from 22:00 to midnight, power is reduced to 70%; from midnight to 05:00, lighting is further reduced to 30%; while from 05:00 to 06:00, the power is gradually increased.
In preparation for the lighting system modernization, LVC, with support from the Development Finance Institution “Altum,” conducted an energy audit carried out by SIA “Ekodoma.” During this audit, lighting calculations were developed for each state road lighting facility. Subsequently, a lamp specification was prepared, complying with green procurement requirements and the recommendations of the Procurement Monitoring Bureau (IUB). Thus, the LED lamps supplied during the procurement meet the technical requirements set by the client, states LVC.
Based on the energy audit calculations, the possible energy efficiency target for the state road lighting modernization was planned at 1,500 megawatt-hours (MWh) per year. LVC indicates that, based on an evaluation of two months’ results after modernizing half of the facilities, even before implementing the dimming function, this target will be achieved.
LETA has already reported that the lighting modernization was carried out using the existing electrical cable infrastructure and poles. The new LED lamps are installed in place of the old ones, and the lighting profile is maintained in the existing configuration.
An open tender at the end of 2024 resulted in a contract signed with SIA “RCG Lighthouse” for the modernization and maintenance of the state road network lighting system for the next three years.
The planned procurement price was 3.2 million euros, but as a result of the tender, it decreased by 347,000 euros to 2.852 million euros. According to the contract, the company’s obligations include maintaining the existing lighting facilities, remote monitoring of equipment, periodic maintenance, and prompt elimination of operational disruptions. The supplier must also carry out the modernization of outdated lamps.
The state road network lighting system comprises 8,414 lamps, illuminating a total of over 200 kilometers of state roads. In 2024, 55% of the lamps in the state road network were LED-type lamps, which, among other things, can be adjusted to traffic intensity. During the contract period, the supplier must replace the remaining 45% of outdated lamps with energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lamps, explains LVC.