Romania will be able to keep five coal-fired power plants in operation until the end of 2026 and 2029, following the renegotiation with the European Commission of its decarbonization schedule for power generation, Romania’s Energy Minister announced in a social media post. This measure aims to prevent a power supply gap and limit rising electricity prices that Romania could face during the winter.
Originally, the country had committed to phasing out lignite and hard coal by 2026 under its EU-funded recovery plan. Currently, Romania operates five coal-fired power plants with a total capacity of 2.6 GW.
- Under its EU Resilience and Recovery Facility (RRF) commitments, 1.8 GW of this capacity was to be shut down by the end of 2025.
- Three units will now remain active until the end of 2029, and two others will continue until August 2026.
This postponement will allow Romania to replace the coal units with gas-fired plants. Two new gas-powered plants with a combined capacity of 1.3 GW are planned to replace the coal facilities, but their projects have faced major delays. Tender procedures for contracting the construction works are still ongoing.
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