OPCOM

© ICIS HEREN - Romania confirms new coal and nuclear plans

2011-05-05

Romania has reiterated plans to press ahead with the construction of new coal and nuclear production in the short term. The Ministry of Energy said on Thursday (5th May) that Chinese investors were mulling an opportunity to build a €700m coal-fired power plant on the Doiceşti site, an existing 320MW thermal power plant in the south of the country. China Huadian Engineering has signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the project and is reportedly doing a feasibility study on whether to invest in the facility. In a separate development, the same Ministry of Energy announced that it would press ahead with the construction of two 720MW reactors at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant. However, officials told the local press that the completion of units 3 and 4 would not happen until 2019 - two years later than the original estimate. Romania is looking for new investors for the two units after Germany`s RWE, Spain`s Iberdrola and GDF SUEZ pulled out in January (see EDEM 21 January 2011). Following the withdrawal of the companies, the government said it would seek to set up an independent joint-stock firm to oversee the building of the facilities. It is reportedly considering new offers from potential investors in South Korea, China, Russia and the US. (THE ICIS HEREN REPORTS - EDEM 15084 / 05 May 2011)

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