The feasibility study for a new cogeneration plant near soda ash factory in Ramnicu Valcea is finalized, said CIECH Soda, a Romanian subsidiary of Polish CIECH Group.
The Polish group now needs an investor to develop the cogeneration plant and obtain all the necessary permits from the Romanian authorities. The plant can be built in 3 to 4 years, and it will result in a significant reduction of the CO2 emissions, compared to the previous source of steam it used in the past.
The company recently fired 500 employees because the steam supplier CET Govora increased the price of steam and CIECH Soda decided to halt its operation due to high energy costs. However, the company claims that it will resume operation once it secures affordable and reliable source of energy.
The statement from the company said that the decision to move towards the construction of the new high-efficiency cogeneration plant is conditional on the need to meet specific conditions, such as accessing EU funding, access to the cogeneration support scheme, connections to the national energy network and long-term access to natural gas. The company is prepared to sign a long-term contract for the steam produced by the power plant, but it needs an investor to finance and operate it. According to the plan, the investment will be carried in two stages and involves installing two combined cycle cogeneration plants, with a total output of 230 MW of electricity and 200 MW of thermal energy.
