The legal framework for the ELCEN-Termoenergetica merger was adopted by the Government on Thursday, the project will be submitted to the Romanian Parliament, and the merger will be completed in February 2026 at the latest, announced the Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja. On Thursday, the government approved a draft law in order to continue ELCEN’s activity as a public thermal energy supply service in Bucharest, after the merger with Compania Municipală Termoenergetica.
“The ELCEN-Termoenergetica merger is moving forward! Today, the Government of Romania adopted an important draft law, which will be submitted to the Romanian Parliament, which creates the legal framework for the ELCEN-Termoenergetica merger. The project is carried out by the Ministry of Development based on its own analysis and co-initiated by the Ministry of Energy, based on the government memorandum that we approved at the beginning of this year. Thus, Bucharest will finally have a SACET (Centralized Thermal Energy Supply System),” wrote Burduja, on Facebook, according to Agerpres.
According to the cited source, the merger of the two entities will reduce the maintenance bills of the citizens of Bucharest and ensure the operation of the system.
“Why this merger? Because it will reduce maintenance bills, ensure the operation of the system, make expenses more efficient and put an end, once and for all, to the permanent scandal surrounding the debts accumulated by Termoenergetica towards Electrocentrale Bucharest ELCEN,” the minister pointed out Energy.
He mentioned that the merger could be completed in February 2026 at the latest, after the evaluation of the assets and completion of all steps by both companies.
“What’s next? Given that in March PMB approved the merger in the General Council, at the initiative of the liberal colleagues, and in May the association agreement between ELCEN-Termoenergetica and ADI Bucharest Ilfov was concluded, the merger process has been started. According to the calendar which I requested from the general director of ELCEN, Claudiu Crețu, the merger will be able to be completed in February 2026 at the latest, after the evaluation of the assets and completion of all the steps by both companies,” added Burduja.
Last but not least, the head of Energy asked the Capital City Hall to urgently resolve the debt situation, currently over one billion lei, that Termoenergetica owes to ELCEN.
“In order not to get stuck (again), we request the payment of the debts that Termoenergetica owes to ELCEN, in the amount of over 1 billion lei today. We are open to supporting PMB with any information necessary to urgently resolve the situation. The lack of these funds jeopardizes ELCEN’s investment plans, including the modernization of the 3 CETs (Sud, Grozăvesti and Progresu), after 50-60 years of operation. For this effort, which exceeds half a billion euros, we are making efforts to allocate some substantial grants from the Modernization Fund. There are no problems without solutions when there is will,” Burduja wrote on the social network.