Romgaz is aiming to produce the first electricity from its 430 MW Iernut gas-fired power station before the end of 2026, as Romania seeks additional flexible generation to support a power system carrying rapidly rising volumes of wind and solar.
Construction of Iernut began in 2016, but contractual disagreements and repeated implementation problems pushed commissioning far beyond the original timetable. A government memorandum approved in May eased procurement procedures for the remaining works, giving Romgaz more flexibility to accelerate completion.
Activity at the site is expected to increase substantially from 1 September. Romgaz believes that the plant could be synchronised with the national grid before year-end, although it has not yet confirmed the date for full commercial operation.
Iernut’s value to the Romanian market lies as much in flexibility as in its headline capacity. The new plant is intended to respond to changes in renewable generation rather than operate continuously as conventional baseload. This role is becoming more important as Romanian solar, wind and battery capacity expand and intraday volatility increases.
Until the new plant becomes available, Romgaz continues to generate electricity from existing Iernut facilities, including a 200 MW coal unit operating at full capacity.
