On the night of 8 to 9 February, the third largest coal-fired power plant in Romania – TPP Mintia complex, operated by EC Hunedoara, has been shut down because it has run out of coal. The mines still operating in the Jiu Valley coal basin are insufficient for the power plant. The company has also imported coal, but it lacks financing to transport it from Constanta port.
The union representatives claim this is the third time in the last six months that TPP Mintia was shut down because of lack of coal. Besides generating electricity, the Mintia power plant provides heating for public institutions and about 4,000 apartments in Deva. It is part of Energy Complex (EC) Hunedoara and has about 700 employees.
