Companies from China, interested in energy projects in Romania

The Government proposed to several Chinese companies to participate in energy projects of over three billion dollars.

The Economy Ministry State Secretary, Traicu Rodin, said after a recent visit to China that he discussed the construction of new power factory, upgrading several mines, but also a part of the cost of reactors 3 and 4 at Cernavoda.

Traicu Rodin said Tuesday at a news conference that at the end of this year will be signed the memorandum with China Huadian Engineering Company which will invest approximately 1.1 billion dollars to build the new power group of over 500 MW at Rovinari, after winning the auction.

Investment in mining

Rodin Traicu also added that the representatives of the Ministry of economy discussed with China Coal Group company, to invest in upgrading the four viable mines in Hunedoara from where the ministry wants to annually extract four million tons of energy coal, in conditions where the annual exploitation is now less than half.

"Coal is priceless, a market for coal has to be converted into electrical energy to enter a competitive market.

"In order to do this, we want to make a new investment of 400 MW at Mintia, and per total, of the 4 million tons of coal we consider to extract 4.8 to 5 TW electricity per year.

"We also discussed with China Coal Corporation about an investment project to modernize in Puvnicioara mine, from Oltenia Energy Company, is the mine that supplies coal to Thermal Drobeta, obviously that if you do an energy group you have to be sure that you have the primary energetic resource, namely coal, "said Rodin Traicu.

Further discussions with potential Chinese investors were referred to the almost 40 percent from the required for nuclear units 3 and 4 electrical equipment, circuits, turbine or generator.

The Ministry of economy presented in China also the Drobeta Turnu Severin projects and the power factory in Tarnita.

Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea
MTTLC, Bucharest University