The EC needs to verify whether the revised plan, which includes a 200 million euro increase in aid and an extended restructuring period, is compatible with EU State aid rules, it said in a press release.
In December, Romania amended the plan by increasing state aid to 2.86 billion euro ($3.38 billion) and extending the restructuring period by three years to end-2029, citing delays in the implementation of new solar and gas power generation plants, which delayed the phaseout of CE Oltenia's existing lignite capacities.
Romania argued that these delays pose a risk to security of supply in the region, due to the current geopolitical situation, considering that the country is, via CE Oltenia, is the main supplier of electricity for neighbouring Moldova and one of the energy suppliers for Ukraine.
The restructuring plan approved by the EC in 2022 builds on Romania's decarbonisation plans to replace lignite-based electricity production with electricity produced from natural gas and from renewable sources such as solar and hydropower.
CE Oltenia is mainly involved in lignite mining and power generation, and employs more than 8,000. The government owns 87.48% of the company, while investment fund Fondul Proprietatea holds 11.81% and other public companies own the rest.
(SeeNews, February 27, 2026)