There is a need for a new investor in the Bucharest Heavy Machinery Company (IMBG), to continue the activity, as it is unacceptable for the machines there to be sold as scrap metal, the Minister for Economy, Energy and Business Environment, Virgil Popescu, said on Thursday.

“It is a private company, unfortunately, that did not respect the intentions of the gentlemen agreement for that activity to work. We have a lever: they were exempted from the payment of the green certificates for a long time. We will follow if this exemption has materialized in investments, as it should have been, and we will see what measures we will take after we verify this,” said Popescu, according to Agerpres.

According to him, the company will have to return that aid, if it did not comply with the law.

“If they did not respect the destination of the money they obtained by exempting them from paying the green certificates, then they should reimburse the money. However, I hope they find another investor who wants to continue, because it is it is unacceptable for those machines that are unique in Romania to be scraped,” said the Minister.

Employees protested to the Government on Tuesday against the intention of the Korean plant owner to close and sell the land on which the industrial platform is located.

Protesters call on the Government to intervene to save the enterprise from closing.