Romag Halânga is for sale: The starting price set at 40 million euros for the assets of the industrial colossus
10 years after entering bankruptcy, the Romag Termo Thermal Power Plant from Halânga will be auctioned for 40 million euros plus VAT, the auction also assuming the sale of land with a total area of 767,312 m2, buildings and special constructions, as well as machines, equipment and installations.
The Romag Halânga thermal power plant, put up for auction for 40 million euros
According to the tender notice scheduled for April 28, the Romag Termo Halânga Thermal Power Plant is located approximately 5 km from Drobeta Turnu Severin, in Halânga and is equipped with 6 energy boilers of 420 t/h operating on lignite and fuel oil support, 1 boiler of 420 t/h operating on fuel oil and 2 boilers of 105 t/h operating on liquid fuel (STAS 51-83 fuel, CLU or diesel).
The energetic steam was produced by the boilers of 420 t/h and with the help of 4 turbogenerators of 50 MW, 1 turbogenerator of 25 MW and 1 turbogenerator of 22 MW, electricity was produced in cogeneration. The Romag Termo Halânga thermal power plant is connected to the 110kV network of SEN in the SW area through the 110kV Power Station.
The Romag Termo power plant from Halânga was part of the Autonomous Directorate for Nuclear Activities (RAAN), an extremely important structure in the Romanian economy, with the main object of activity being the production of heavy water, necessary for the nuclear reactors at Cernavodă.
After producing the entire amount of heavy water, RAAN went bankrupt, pulling Romag Termo after it, under which the Halânga Thermal Power Plant was located.
The judicial liquidator EuroInsol has tried several times to auction Termocentrala.
RAAN had 9,000 employees in 2000
The Autonomous Directorate for Nuclear Activities (RAAN) was established in 1998, through the reorganization of some structures from the former Autonomous Directorate of Electricity RENEL, with the aim of concentrating and administering Romania's strategic activities in the nuclear field. RAAN's main object of activity was the production of heavy water (D₂O), an essential material for the operation of the CANDU-type reactors used at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, but also the production of electricity and thermal energy needed both for its own industrial processes and for urban consumption.
In the early 2000s, the directorate had approximately 8,000–9,000 employees, being one of the largest industrial employers in the southwest of the country. Over time, amid the reduction in activity and financial difficulties, the staff decreased significantly, reaching around 3,000–4,000 employees before entering bankruptcy.
RAAN's structure was organized around two main, deeply interdependent branches. The Romag Prod branch had the role of producing heavy water through a complex and very energy-intensive industrial process, while the Romag Termo branch, located in Halânga, provided the electricity and especially the technological steam required for this process. The thermal power plant from Halânga served not only the industrial platform, but also the heating system of the Drobeta-Turnu Severin municipality, which gave it an important role in the local plan as well. The relationship between the two entities was one of direct dependence: without the energy and steam provided by Romag Termo, the production of heavy water from Romag Prod would not have been possible in normal parameters.
After 2010, in the context of declining demand for heavy water, high production costs and the accumulation of significant debts, the economic situation of the kingdom deteriorated rapidly. RAAN entered insolvency in 2013, a procedure in which it was judicially administered by the consortium formed by Tudor & Asociatii SPRL and SIERRA QUADRANT SPRL, and later in bankruptcy in 2016, when the powers were taken over by the judicial liquidator.
