The Minister of Energy has obtained the agreement of the European Commission for the maintenance of coal power plants. Romania risks remaining without electricity for 52 hours.

Bogdan Ivan, the Minister of Energy, presented the European Commission with a 6000-page study that demonstrates that shutting down the coal-fired power plants at the Oltenia Energy Complex could lead to 52 hours of blackout in Romania, affecting large cities and companies like Ford. Ivan emphasized that, following complex negotiations, the Commission agreed to maintain these plants until 2029, considering the risks to the national energy system and the potential 30% increase in bills for the population. Romania has committed to ambitious decarbonization targets, but would have risked penalties of up to 1.8 billion euros if it had not maintained the coal plants.