Romania’s new Mintia power plant completes first gas turbine firing, PM says

The first gas turbine at Romania’s new Mintia power plant ran on natural gas for the first time on Thursday, October 8, interim prime minister Ilie Bolojan announced. The commissioning process will continue with further tests, grid synchronisation, and the delivery of the first electricity to the national power system.

“This is an important technical stage for one of Romania’s most significant energy investments in recent years,” Bolojan wrote on Facebook.

The project was more than 80% complete when the interim prime minister visited the construction site in June. The installations connecting the turbine to the grid were energised on June 15, according to Ilie Bolojan.

The plant’s two gas turbines will have a combined capacity of approximately 1,100 MW. Once the combined cycle is completed, the facility will reach around 1,700 MW of installed capacity.

The new plant represents a private investment of more than EUR 1.2 billion and is being built on the site of the former coal-fired Mintia power station.

“For Romania, this means more domestically produced energy, fewer imports, and a greater capacity to meet demand during difficult periods, particularly in the evenings and in winter,” prime minister Ilie Bolojan said.

He added that the Mintia and Iernut gas-fired plants were expected to strengthen the security of Romania’s electricity system from 2027.

“It is essential that all institutions continue to cooperate so that the tests and subsequent stages are completed without further delays,” Bolojan said.