Polish Ciech wants partnership with local authorities, other firms for new power plant

Polish soda ash producer Ciech has prepared an offer for the Ramnicu Valcea City Council, energy producer CET Govora and other local partners, to build together a new thermal power plant in Ramnicu Valcea.

A new meeting between Ciech officials and the local authorities is scheduled for October 28.

Ciech’s local soda factory is currently in stand-by after the suspension of steam supply by CET Govora in September.

“A cogeneration plant has several advantages, including energy efficiency, a reduced footprint on the environment and not least it can accomplish the needs of several industrial players. First of all, it must secure the delivery of steam at an optimal level, which means that it should meet certain conditions. At this moment we are considering different options. Of course, in the variant of a partnership with the authorities and the others economical agents, the problem of replacing the old, underperforming CET Govora could be solved, but this does not depend on us anymore,” said Witold Urbanowski, general manager Ciech Soda Romania.

The whole community will benefit from such cooperation, if all sides reach a desired agreement. Still, in case of failure of negotiations, Ciech is analyzing several other options available in the current circumstances, such as building the steam source on its own or launching long-term production standby, according to the group’s representatives.

Ciech Group is the sole producer of soda ash in Poland and Romania. The group’s share of the soda ash market in Poland reaches about 95%, while its market share in Europe is around 16-18%.

According to an EY report released on September 16, the company's operations were generating over 4,400 jobs in Romania as of 2018. Also, contribution to country’s GDP was estimated at RON 445 million (nearly EUR 100mn). Ciech took over the soda ash in Romania in 2006.

(Photo source: Ciechgroup.com)