CE Oltenia suspending 13,000 workers as sales drop amid COVID-19
The government in Bucharest is paying employees on a leave of absence 75% of gross salary for the duration of the state of emergency. CE Oltenia, already strained by carbon emissions costs, introduced a minimum staffing scheme and sent the first of two groups of workers home for 17 workdays. Romania must introduce measures to […]
Romania temporarily prohibits sale of majority stakes in energy companies
Romania will maintain the state of emergency for at least one more month and until it is abolished, no energy firm can be taken over. Hidroelectrica will thus need to wait longer for its acquisition of ČEZ’s subsidiaries in the country. The state of emergency has been extended for a month, to May 14. Just before […]
Romania caps energy prices including electricity, heat
Romania has limited the prices of electricity, heat, natural gas, water supply, sanitation and fuels due to coronavirus. On March 16, President Klaus Iohannis declared a state of emergency in Romania, which was approved by Parliament three days later. According to the decree, some prices may be capped, including electricity and thermal energy, gas, water […]
Romania to build 310 MW in solar power capacity in Oltenia coal pits
The authorities in Bucharest are struggling to keep the coal mining and thermal power plant complex above water. Romania is preparing the ground for four solar power units to be installed in a mine and slag and ash ponds run by state-owned CE Oltenia. Complexului Energetic Oltenia SA has commissioned the study on the upcoming […]
Romanian manufacturers seen tapping on EU’s high-efficiency CHP subsidies to cut energy costs
Romanian manufacturers are increasingly seeking new solutions to cut electricity costs, including through the European Union’s (EU) subsidies for building high-efficiency cogeneration (CHP) facilities for the production of energy for their own manufacturing activities, according to Business Review, a Romanian business news website. Under the financing axis 6 of its Operational Program for Large Infrastructure […]
Hidroelectrica should look into Black Sea offshore wind potential, minister says
Romania’s acting economy and energy minister Virgil Popescu has said the country’s state-owned hydropower producer Hidroelectrica should consider tapping the Black Sea offshore wind potential, local media have reported. No studies of he Black Sea offshore wind potential have been done so far, and the idea has not been publicly debated, although there is potential, […]
EU conditions EUR 251 million state aid to coal, power utility CE Oltenia
The European Commission has approved Romania’s plans to grant a EUR 251 million loan to second-biggest power producer Complexul Energetic Oltenia (CE Oltenia) but with strict conditions. The Romanian government has defined a plan to help Complexul Energetic Oltenia (CE Oltenia), coal-based utility trapped in a financial squeeze for years. A public loan warrants approval […]
Romania to invest EUR 53 million in charging stations for hybrid, electric vehicles
Romania is launching a EUR 53 million state aid scheme to stimulate investments in charging stations for hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) which will span from 2020 to 2025. The measure is approved by the European Commission under EU state aid rules. Romania currently has more than 150 charging stations for EVs. In 2018, authorities […]