Dacia and Ford are temporarily suspending production at their Romanian plants until August 19 as the country faces a severe energy shortage linked to drought and record-low Danube River levels.
The two carmakers will use the production halt to carry out planned maintenance and preventive work at their facilities. The move is part of voluntary measures agreed by major electricity consumers to reduce pressure on Romania’s power system and is expected to save around 200 megawatts of electricity.
Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced the measure following a meeting with representatives of around 80 large industrial electricity users. He said companies had voluntarily agreed to reduce consumption, especially during peak hours between 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., with each business applying measures suited to its production needs.
Dacia and Ford are among the first companies to take action, combining energy-saving measures with scheduled repairs. Bolojan said other industrial companies are expected to follow their example.
The energy-saving measures come as Romania struggles with lower electricity production caused by prolonged dry weather and falling Danube levels. Bolojan said the river flow is expected to decline from around 1,450 to 1,400 cubic meters per second by the end of the week, approaching critical levels for the cooling system of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant.
