Romgaz: “We are ready to complete the Iernut plant this year”

Romgaz is ready to complete the project of the Iernut power plant on its own, in case the Romelectro – Duro Felguera association will not keep its commitments, said Aristotel Jude, general manager of Romgaz.

“I would like to refute some information that appeared in the press, namely the great change of mind and the fact that the Romanian Government would have intervened. I would like to tell you very firmly that there was no intervention by a Government representative regarding the 14-day suspension of notification of termination submitted to the Duro Felguera-Romelectro association,” Jude claimed. “The 14-day suspension of the termination is part of the development strategy of this project, as we want this plant to be completed as soon as possible. We will let these 14 days run, we will receive a final offer for the completion of this plant by the association, because the deadline was December 26, 2020, extended from December 2019. Romgaz has decided not to extend this final period of execution of the plant.”

The Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu, recently declared that the project of the plant built by Romgaz at Iernut was a total failure, as the works were delayed for several years and no one checked them, but the plant must be completed this year.

Romgaz did not extend the contract with Romelectro and Duro Felguera for the construction of the Iernut plant, as the deadline for completion of the works, which expired on December 26, 2020, was not met, Romgaz announced in a statement issued on December 30, 2020.

Romgaz has signed, in 2016, a contract worth 268 million Euro, without VAT, with the companies Duro Felguera and Romelectro, for the construction of a new power plant for electricity production at the Iernut thermal power plant. The plant should have been put into operation in early 2020, according to initial plans.