The situation of the Iernut power plant is a special one, an economic and diplomatic negotiation was needed, but at this moment we are in the last phase before the reissuance of the order to start the works and we have the chance that in 16 months we will be able to start this important capacity, said, on Wednesday, at the hearing in the specialized committees of the Parliament, Sebastian Burduja, who today received a positive vote from the Parliament for the leadership of the Ministry of Energy.
“We all know that an investment project in the energy infrastructure is not done overnight, just as it is not done in highways, either. As we saw in the case of Iernut, where it is a really special situation, because there the Spanish entrepreneur encountered difficulties. An economic and diplomatic negotiation was needed, things have settled down at the moment. I myself was in Madrid a month ago, I talked with the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister, and at the moment we are on the last phase, before the reissuance of the order to start the works. So, this means that we have chances that in 16 months we will be able to launch this important capacity,” said Burduja, according to Agerpres.
Romgaz signed, in 2016, a contract worth 268 million euros, without VAT, with the companies Duro Felguera and Romelectro, for the construction of a new power plant for the production of electricity within the Iernut thermal power plant. The plant should have been commissioned at the beginning of 2020, according to the initial plans. In the summer of 2021, Romgaz terminated the contract, due to delays, and at the beginning of April 2023, it signed with Duro Felguera, the purchase contract with the object “Completion of the works and commissioning of the investment objective: Development of CTE Iernut through the construction of a power plant new combined-cycle thermoelectric plants with gas turbines”.
On the other hand, the new Minister of Energy emphasized, regarding the Oltenia Energy Complex and the Hunedoara Energy Complex, that “it is a challenge to follow the restructuring plan”.
Regarding nuclear energy, he mentioned that it has an “absolutely vital” role and Romania has a tradition in the field.
“Romania together with other European states have registered a diplomatic victory in recent years, because this energy is considered green energy. We have a tradition in the field, we have an integrated cycle, which very few states in the world have and we must take care to we keep this cycle. Also, based on all the data that I have at the moment, the projects undertaken by Romania, so reactors 3 and 4, the retrofitting and life extension for reactor 1, as well as the SMRs, are advanced projects in partnership with the strategic partner from the United States, with the partners from Canada, with the partners from South Korea and, from what I know, in the coming period you will hear more good news on this subject and things will become even more concrete,” stated Sebastian Burduja.
At the same time, in his opinion, the listing of Hidroelectrica is a good measure and “doesn’t mean that we are selling our country” but that Romanians are given the opportunity to invest in the state’s strategic companies and multiply their agony. “By the way, and last year, you probably remember, I supported a law by which the contributions due for the net gain on the capital market decreased from 10% to 1, respectively 2% depending on the holding period. And thank you for support, because it was a very widely supported and cross-party initiative. So, yes, I think it is a good measure. It does not mean that we are selling our country, it means that we are giving Romanians the opportunity to invest in the strategic companies of the Romanian state and to multiply the fortune,” he said.