Under an emergency ordinance passed by the Romanian Government in order to meet the targets set under the decarbonization calendar under the National Relaunch and Resilience Program (PNRR), two coal-fired power units with a combined installed capacity of 660 MW at Energy Complex (EC) Oltenia will be placed under conservation in June this year for three years, or they may even be closed permanently.
The decision, although announced in advance and supposed to take effect last winter, prompted fierce accusations among the ruling coalition’s partners, who claim that the move will jeopardize the stability of the country’s electricity system and leave thousands of workers without a job.
In response, Minister of Energy Virgil Popescu assured that nobody would lose their job, reminding that Romania agreed to keep in operations only three coal-fired units after 2026 and terminate the use of coal after 2032.
Last June, the Romanian Government decided to delay its planned decarbonization goals for the energy sector, maintaining the use of coal for an extra two years. The initial plan would have had mines and coal-related activities shut down by 31 December 2030.
