The Ford automobile factory in Craiova, operated by Ford Otosan, will resume operations after it started the annual maintenance outage at the beginning of the year in an attempt to ease pressure on electricity consumption, according to Profit.ro. The Dacia factory operated by the Renault group in Pitesti will also resume operations on August 25.
The restart comes at a delicate moment for the national energy system. Romania turned off both nuclear reactors of the Cernavoda nuclear plant, and the Ministry of Energy has announced that limiting the consumption of large industrial consumers in tranches, between 19:00 and 23:00, remains the last measure in order of priority, but is not excluded. In the Transelectrica regulation on limiting consumption in tranches, “machine construction” appears in tranches 1 and 2, among the first sectors targeted, while commercial complexes appear only in tranche 4, according to Ziarul Financiar.
The financial stakes of a possible imposed shutdown are substantial. At a rate of about 1,300 vehicles per day and an average market value of about EUR 30,000 per car, a day of production in Craiova is worth about EUR 39 million. A four-hour limitation, as stipulated by the authorities, would mean over 200 vehicles and about EUR 6.5 million of unfulfilled production for each evening. Compared to last month’s volumes, the Craiova plant’s July production was worth about EUR 700 million.
Ford Otosan stated that the pause in Craiova was not an extraordinary decision made due to the energy crisis, but was carried out as part of the pre-planned annual maintenance and vacation program, Turkish media reported.
Acting prime minister Ilie Bolojan announced, in the context, that the two factories account for a combined consumption of some 200 MW.
Romania’s peak consumption during 19:00-23:00 is around 7,000-8,000 MW. The largest individual installed capacity of electricity consumption in Romania is that held by the aluminium producer Alro Slatina, of over 900 MW.
iulian@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: LinkedIn/Ford Otosan Romania)
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