Romanian Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, announced that the 330 MW Unit 5 of the Rovinari coal-fired power plant, part of the Energy Complex (EC) Oltenia, is now prepared for operation following a comprehensive refurbishment project valued at €100 million.
Minister Burduja emphasized that this refurbishment represents one of the most complex undertakings in Romania’s energy infrastructure. The necessary upgrades have been implemented to ensure compliance with EU environmental standards. As a result of these improvements, the operating costs for this unit are expected to be comparable to those of gas-fired power plants.
According to EC Oltenia’s restructuring plan, Units 4 and 5 at the Rovinari plant, along with Unit 5 at the Turceni plant, will not be fully operational for long. After 2026, these units will remain within the EC Oltenia framework but will be designated as capacity reserves, ready to operate only when other resources are unavailable. Of the ten coal mining pits in the complex, four will continue operations after 2026, also functioning as capacity reserves.
Romania aims to completely phase out coal from its electricity generation by 2031.
