The Mintia thermal power plant has been sold through receivership for 91 million euros after at least 150 million euros were invested in the reconstruction, PSD spokesman Senator Stefan Radu Oprea said on Saturday, saying it was unclear why the Ministry of Energy had chosen this method of “privatization”. closing the CHP plant.

“Mintya thermal power plant was sold through a receiver for EUR 91 million. This after at least 150 million euros were invested in the renovation. We are getting assurances from the line ministry that strict conditions are being imposed so that the new 800 MW, more environmentally friendly, generation capacity will replace the old coal-based groups. It is not clear why the minister chose this method of “privatization” by closing the CHP. We all know that it is cheapest to buy the assets of a bankrupt company. The investors who stepped on the threshold of the Ministry of Energy when the Mintia thermal power plant was working were bad, it seems that the modernization of the 235 MW group had to be completed first and Romania’s money to be spent,” said the social democrat, quoted by Agerpres.

He wonders why it was not possible to get money from the Modernization Fund to turn the CHP into an environmentally friendly project.

“Couldn’t we get money from the Modernization Fund to turn the CHP into an environmentally friendly project? At the same time, it would produce energy with a newly renovated group, as in Germany, until a gas plant or photovoltaic parks were built. It is not clear why in the midst of an energy crisis you are closing production facilities without introducing anything new. Unfortunately, the only answer we will get is that the market economy is cruel, that bankruptcies also happen, especially when its liberalization is chaotic,” concluded Radu Oprya.

Mintia thermal power plant bought by Mass Global Energy Rom

The thermal power plant Mintia was bought for 91 million euros by Mass Global Energy Rom, part of Mass Group Holding, at a public auction, the receiver of Complexul Energetic Hunedoara SA announced on Friday.

• Read also: “Mintya” thermal power plant, put up for sale from open auctions at a starting price of 91.2 million euros / The Ministry of Energy presented the terms of the buyer

According to the source, taking into account the specifics of the asset, the Ministry of Energy, as a shareholder, proposed certain conditions to the investor in order to restore energy production in Mindia. Therefore, the buyer, Mass Global Energy Rom, has an obligation until December 31, 2026 to complete the investment to create a new energy capacity with an installed capacity of at least 1,290 MWh, of which at least 800 MWh in gas and a range of renewable energy sources . The start of the investment will be possible after the authorities grant the necessary permits and approvals.

Mintia Thermal Power Plant consists of 3,297,807 square meters of land, buildings, and movable property and related equipment.

The public auction took place on Friday in the receiver’s office, where only one bidder appeared – a representative of the company Mass Global Energy Rom, created specifically for this acquisition. This is the fourth auction for the operation of Mintyansk CHP.

History of Mintyanskaya CHP

The thermal power plant Mintia is located in the southwest of Transylvania, on the banks of the Mures River, 9 km from the city of Deva.

From the moment of commissioning until the end of 2011, the Mintia thermal power plant produced 204 TWh of electricity needed by Romania and consumed 117 million tons of coal.

On November 14, 2019, the Mintia thermal power plant began bankruptcy proceedings and has been in conservation since the summer of 2021 due to the lack of necessary investments to comply with the environmental regulations of the European Union.