The energy production activity at Electrocentrale Craiova could be affected, which would lead to the cessation of heat in the municipality of Craiova and the primary heat to the Ford Otosan company, after the current management abolished the position of production director, and the operators in the control room (boiler and turbine) resigned en masse and will no longer come to work after February 24.
The general director of Electrocentrale Craiova, Lorena Voican, declared on Wednesday for Agerprers that the Ministry of Energy, the majority shareholder of the company, was informed about the situation in which the unit is in order to find a solution in case the operators maintain their resignations that occurred following the reorganization and abolition of several positions, including that of production director.
“A change was made to the organizational chart as a result of the ordinance and the ministry’s reorganization address at the company level. Several positions with TESA priority were abolished, we did not go to production, otherwise there were both occupied and vacant positions in TESA management positions. It is not a labor conflict, the union was informed, it is not a collective dismissal. We returned to the organizational chart with which the company operated from 2022 until a few months ago. At this moment, 503 people are still employed,” said the director of Electrocentrale Craiova, Lorena Voican, quoted by Agerpres.
She also stated that the restructuring plan is at the unit level, to streamline the activity, taking into account the ministry’s address and the situation the company is in. “From a financial point of view, we are at a loss. We tried to streamline the activity,” Voican also stated.
Regarding the resignations of the operators, Voican stated that the company’s production activity could be affected if they maintain their decisions. ‘At this moment we cannot talk about stopping the supply of heat in Craiova, we will see what the course is. There are several colleagues from the company who have submitted their resignations, we have informed the ministry, we have discussed to find a solution in case they maintain their resignations, so that we are not unable to function anymore. These resignations may affect the company’s activity, because we are talking about the panel builders, those who service the boilers within the company,’ the director of Electrocentrale Craiova also said.
The production director of Electrocentrale Craiova, Dan Vasile, former general director of the company until Lorena Voican’s appointment, stated that the current management has decided to abolish his position, currently being on notice, and after February 28 he will no longer have a job.
“In the context of the Ministry of Energy’s request to reduce costs, personnel expenses, goods and services expenses, the general director proposed another organizational chart. He called me and told me directly that he was eliminating my position… If you eliminate the position of production director when the main activity of Electrocentrale Craiova is the production of electricity and heat, what can be said about the rest of the activity?”, said Dan Vasile.
He also stated that the unit is at a loss, like all coal-fired power plants, because over 50% of the costs go to CO2 certificates, and the Oltenia Energy Complex is at a profit because it receives state aid (it received over a billion euros in three years, ed.n).
Following the resignations of the operators, the power plant’s electricity production activity will stop, Electrocentrale Craiova being able to eventually operate with industrial steam boilers, which could provide heat for Craiova at 30% of the need.