Romania restarts coal units at Rovinari plant to tackle energy deficit and high import costs

Reopening coal units at Rovinari

On Monday, 17 August 2026, Complexul Energetic Oltenia restarted Unit 4 at the Rovinari coal-fired power station to inject additional power into Romania's national grid. Unit 4 began supplying electricity at 14:30, followed shortly by simultaneous operations across Units 4, 5, and 6 near 15:00. To bring the facilities back online, the plant called retired staff members back to active duty. Plant director Marius Bîzgă confirmed the initial ramp-up in generation shortly after synchronisation.

We are raising parameters and increasing generated power. At this moment we produce 477 megawatts and effectively deliver it to the electrical system.

Grid crisis and generation deficits

The restart follows severe power deficits caused by extreme drought and the total shutdown of both reactor units at the Cernavodă nuclear plant. Low water levels on the Danube River have constrained hydro generation, while the outage at Cernavodă removed baseload capacity from the national system. Unit 4 at Rovinari alone has the potential to replace roughly half of the capacity typically supplied by Cernavodă Reactor 2. Each of the three Rovinari units has an expected output of approximately 300 megawatts, creating a combined capacity of 900 megawatts.

Energy experts caution that coal capacity cannot fully mirror nuclear reliability due to technical limitations and fuel constraints. Romania Energy Center founder Eugenia Gusilov pointed out that coal plants operate at lower capacity factors than nuclear reactors.

It depends on the capacity factor; in nuclear, 98% of the installed capacity can produce electricity, while in coal it is less, the capacity factor is around half, between 40 and 70%. So if we say 330 megawatts is the installed capacity of the Rovinari unit, that does not mean it will produce 330. In the best case, it will reach a maximum of 70% of the 330-megawatt capacity.

Energy costs and peak imports

Electricity generated from coal at Rovinari costs roughly 170 to 180 euros per megawatt-hour, which is two to three times cheaper than emergency imports. Romania has faced daily import requirements between 1,700 and 2,000 megawatt-hours during peak demand periods, with cross-border prices ranging from 300 to 500 euros per megawatt-hour. Former energy minister Bogdan Ivan defended the decision to revive coal capacity by pointing to similar reliance on coal in Germany and Poland.

What CEO Oltenia is doing today is similar to what Poland or Germany is doing. In these developed states it is based on coal and they are expanding, and this is what we must do to overcome this phase in which we import heavily at peak consumption hours, over 1,700 to 2,000 megawatts per hour every day from our neighbours at prices between 300 and 500 euros per megawatt-hour.

Household bills and market adjustments

Domestic consumers will experience tariff increases starting in autumn 2026 following the expiration of state price caps and compensation schemes. Some retail electricity providers have already issued new contracts priced at approximately 1.53 lei per kilowatt-hour, representing a rise of about 18 bani over previous rates. For a household with a typical monthly demand of 200 kilowatt-hours, this adjustment adds roughly 36 lei to each monthly invoice regardless of efficiency efforts. Final price levels will vary between suppliers based on whether electricity was purchased in advance through long-term contracts, on the day-ahead spot market, or during intraday trading. Wholesale price pressures concentrate primarily in two peak daily intervals, between 06:00 and 09:00 in the morning and from 18:00 to 22:00 in the evening.

Political disputes over coal strategy

The reactivation of coal units has intensified domestic political debates regarding Romania's decarbonisation schedule under European Union directives. Bogdan Ivan announced that the Social Democratic Party intends to support the ongoing operation of three units at Rovinari and one unit at Turceni beyond 31 August 2026. Former government secretary general Radu Oprea criticised dismissed interim prime minister Ilie Bolojan for initially opposing the restart of coal facilities when the energy crisis emerged. Plant managers also face resource limitations, as local coal stockpiles remain insufficient to sustain elevated generation levels over prolonged periods.