The Ministry of Energy announces the signing of the financing contract within the program aimed at the construction of combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants that can be adapted to operate on hydrogen, necessary to achieve the transition from coal and to balance the network.

The project aims to build a combined cycle power plant based on natural gas, of approximately 850MW in Isalnita, Dolj County.

The value of this contract from the Modernization Fund is 1.25 billion RON, equivalent to 253 million euros.

In 2022, ALRO, one of the largest vertically integrated aluminium producers in Europe, was declared as “selected investor” following a public tender organized by Complexul Energetic Oltenia (CEO) to build together a natural gas power generation plant at Isalnita.

Under the terms of the tender announcement, CEO and ALRO will negotiate the establishment of a SPV that will build the 850 MW natural gas power plant, subject to both companies’ corporate approvals. This will replace two old coal-fired blocks of 315 MW each.