Riga loses chance to use over 740,000 euros for streetlights

Riga has lost the chance to use more than 740,000 euros in state funding to replace streetlights after a procurement process was cancelled. LSM reported the decision, citing Latvian Television’s investigative programme De facto.

The city selected Vizulo Solutions as the winner twice, but the Procurement Monitoring Bureau overturned both decisions after complaints from competing companies. Four companies submitted bids, and the municipality rejected three of them. After almost a year, Riga stopped the procurement in September because the work could no longer be completed by the project deadline in April 2027.

The city had secured state funding last year to modernise lighting in several Riga neighbourhoods. The plan included replacing 34 lamps on Nīcgales Street in Dārzciems, a Riga neighbourhood. The new lights would use less electricity and could be dimmed during hours with lighter traffic.

Riga has about 52,000 streetlights. Around 19,000 are LED lights, while the remaining 33,000 are older sodium lamps that use more electricity and emit a yellowish light.

Vizulo Solutions blamed the delays on appeals by competitors. Representatives of the company appeared as authors in the procurement metadata, but Vizulo Solutions denied involvement.

Residents interviewed by De facto said lighting in some parts of the city was poor. One Dārzciems resident said the lamps had not been changed during her 30 years there, adding that they worked but that brighter lighting would be better.