Photo: Turceni coal plant (iStock)
Turceni is dependent on the local coal power plant, so the municipal authority is turning to agrivoltaics, energy storage and green hydrogen to replace it. The small town in southwestern Romania is kickstarting a EUR 380 million project.
The coal plant in Turceni used to be one of the biggest in Europe, at 2.3 GW. Located next to the eponymous town in Romania’s Gorj coal region, only two units of 660 MW in total are still operational. At the same time, dozens of such facilities across Europe are shutting down ahead of schedule. The power plant and its associated mines within Complexul Energetic Turceni have been essential for the local economy, which is under threat of devastation amid the country’s coal phaseout.
As with other coal regions in the European Union, the solution is in green energy and new technologies. The town hall has signed a contract with the European Investment Bank for agrisolar parks, energy storage units and the production and storage of green hydrogen.
Turceni town hall secures municipal land for green energy projects
The project is worth a whopping EUR 380 million, Mayor Constantin Popescu revealed. Turceni and its administrative area have fewer than seven thousand inhabitants.
More than 123 hectares of municipal land (pastures) and more than 200 hectares of private land were designated for the renewable energy hub, the mayor stressed.
Bankwatch: The coal region is transitioning to a future based on innovation, sustainability and strong partnerships
Partners in the project are Bankwatch Romania and GAL Sudul Gorjului, the so-called local action group for southern Gorj. Bankwatch said over 370 hectares would be switched to clean and sustainable energy production.
“We are glad that we had an important role in developing the project plan and aligning it with European environmental policies, as well as in applying for technical assistance. For a region that has been, for decades, a pillar of coal-fired energy, this project marks a strategic transformation: a transition to a future based on innovation, sustainability and strong partnerships,” the organization added.
Investments to start in 2026
Implementation is scheduled to begin next year. The project will contribute to a just transition of the region by increasing the production of electricity from renewable energy sources, Popescu asserted. In his words, it will be complementary to the local authority’s other ongoing and future decarbonization investments.
The mayor also highlighted the plans to use geothermal energy for district heating and agriculture.
Complexul Energetic Turceni is part of state-owned Complexul Energetic Oltenia (CE Oltenia). According to the company’s restructuring and decarbonization plan, the coal business will be separated from green energy and other investments.
They include projects for CCGT (combined-cycle gas turbine) power plants of 475 MW in Turceni and 800 MW in nearby Ișalnița, as the main replacement for coal plants. Both are suffering heavy delays.
Minister of Energy Bogdan Ivan said last week that CE Oltenia’s Ișalnița coal plant in neighboring Dolj county would be closed on January 1. Romania has asked the European Commission to delay the closure of several coal plant units, scheduled for this year, until 2030.
Earlier this year, a joint venture between CE Oltenia and OMV Petrom hired contractors for four solar power plants at former coal land, with a combined capacity of about 550 MW. One of the sites is in Ișalnița.
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