Electrocentrale București (ELCEN) has completed the first stage of the procurement procedure for a new high-efficiency cogeneration plant at CTE Grozăvești, moving selected candidates into the second stage of competitive dialogue. The estimated investment is approximately 600 million lei and is supported by non-reimbursable funding from the Modernisation Fund.
Selected candidates move into technical dialogue
ELCEN says its assessment of the submitted documentation has identified the candidates that will continue to the second stage of the procedure. In this stage, the contracting entity and participating candidates can develop and refine the proposed technical and economic solutions against ELCEN’s requirements and the investment’s objectives. The remaining participants will later be invited to submit final tenders based on the solutions agreed during the dialogue. Competitive dialogue is designed for procurements where the contracting entity can define its needs but requires discussion with qualified candidates before fixing the final tender solution.
A 600 million lei plant is planned for Grozăvești
The project covers a new cogeneration unit with an installed capacity of 32.5 MWe and 41 MWt. It is planned to use modern technology based on a gas turbine and heat-recovery boiler, with an overall efficiency of 81.05%. The plant will run on natural gas and be prepared to use hydrogen in a blend as that technological solution develops and becomes available. ELCEN says the project is intended to improve energy efficiency, reduce primary energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, and strengthen the security of electricity and heat supply. The estimated investment value is approximately 600 million lei.
Grozăvești forms part of a wider renewal programme
ELCEN describes the Grozăvești investment as one of three major projects in its programme to modernise electricity and heat generation capacity. The programme has cumulative investments of approximately 5 billion lei and also includes projects at CTE București Sud and CTE Progresu. București Sud’s planned cogeneration plant has an installed capacity of 275 MWe and 214 MWt, while Progresu’s plant, based on thermal engines, is planned at 74.2 MWe and 72.8 MWt. All three projects are financed through the Modernisation Fund and are intended to provide more efficient, flexible and reliable production for Bucharest and the national energy system.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Contracting entity | ELCEN Electrocentrale București |
| Procurement stage | First stage completed; selected candidates proceed to stage two of competitive dialogue |
| Grozăvești capacity | 32.5 MWe and 41 MWt |
| Overall efficiency | 81.05% |
| Estimated investment | Approximately 600 million lei |
| Fuel and readiness | Natural gas, prepared for hydrogen blending |
| Funding | Non-reimbursable funding through the Modernisation Fund |
The remaining participants will be invited to submit their final offers based on the solutions agreed during the dialogue.
WHY IT MATTERS
The move to the second stage shows how competitive dialogue can shape a complex energy contract before final tenders are submitted. Candidates are not yet at the final-offer stage: the dialogue is intended to develop the technical and economic solutions that will form the basis for those offers.
Reported from economica.net, 2026-11-12. The Tender Wire is published by Otnox.
