Member of the Management Board of Romanian state-owned coal-based electricity producer Energy Complex (EC) Oltenia Constantin Balasoiu said that that the company could double its electricity generation capacity during winter, up to 2,300 MW.
Balasoiu answered the question whether EC Oltenia’s coal-fired units could replace gas-fired power plants in case of an disruption of natural gas supply during the winter season. He said that EC Oltenia can replace OMV Petrom’s gas-fired Brazi power plant, the largest gas-fired power plant in the country.
He said that, although the closure of two more coal-fired units at EC Oltenia (TPP Rovinari unit 3 and TPP Turceni unit 7) was planned for 1 January 2023, that will be delayed until the end of the winter season.
He said that, although Romania’s decarbonization plan envisages coal phase-out by the end of 2030, the operational life of many EC Oltenia’s units is much longer, adding that recently modernized units have a lifespan of additional 20 years, while others still have a lifespan of 12-13 years.
