Rompetrol Rafinare SA has set Dec. 31, 2028 as the completion deadline for photovoltaic installations at both of its Romanian refineries, with a combined 14.2 Mw of solar capacity backed by roughly $15.2 million in total investment.

The larger of the two projects — a 9.4-Mw photovoltaic plant at the 5-million tonne/year (tpy) Petromidia refinery in Năvodari, Constanța County, on Romania's Black Sea coast — is designed to generate more than 9,800 Mw-hr/year of electricity for direct use by the refinery, the operator said in an Oct. 8 release.

Rompetrol Rafinare budgeted the Petromidia project at about $9.2 million, including roughly $2.9 million in nonrefundable modernization fund support and a $6.3-million company contribution. The Dec. 31, 2028 target date falls under the funding call deadline.

Once operational, the plant is expected to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at Petromidia by about 6,024 tpy.

Who owns Rompetrol Rafinare?

Kazakhstan's state-owned JSC NC KazMunayGas holds the stake through its subsidiary KMG International NV at 54.63%, while Romania's Ministry of Economy, Energy & Business Environment owns 44.7%.

How does the solar plant fit Petromidia's existing power setup?

The photovoltaic installation will complement the refinery's 80-Mw cogeneration plant, operated by Rompetrol Energy SA, a subsidiary of the Kazakh-Romanian Energy Investment Fund (KREIF). The cogeneration unit entered commercial operation at the end of 2025 and supplies Petromidia's electricity and process steam requirements.

Petromidia ran at 98.11% capacity utilization in first-half 2026, according to the Oct. 8 announcement. The refinery also recorded:

• An 86.54% white-product yield during the first six months of 2026
• A 92-point Energy Intensity Index over the same period

What is planned at Vega Ploieşti?

The Petromidia announcement follows Rompetrol Rafinare's Aug. 21 confirmation of a separate solar-and-storage project at its Vega Ploieşti niche refinery in Prahova County, about 60 km from Bucharest. Vega specializes in solvents and hexane production and is the only Romanian producer of bitumen.

The planned Vega installation combines:

• 4.8 Mw of photovoltaic capacity
• A 9-Mw-hr battery-based energy storage system

The installation is expected to produce more than 6,200 Mw-hr/year — equivalent to about two-thirds of the refinery's budgeted 2025 electricity use. The storage component is intended to help align solar generation with the refinery's operating requirements, according to the operator.

Rompetrol Rafinare expects the project to reduce GHG emissions at Vega by more than 3,800 tpy once online. The operator estimated the overall cost at about $6 million, comprising roughly $1.6 million from the modernization fund and $4.5 million from the company. Like Petromidia, the Vega project is scheduled for implementation by Dec. 31, 2028.

Where do the projects stand in the approval process?

Approval of the two projects advances plans the company disclosed in its 2025 annual report, dated Mar. 25, 2026. At that time, feasibility studies for the photovoltaic installations at both Petromidia and Vega were complete, while internal approvals remained in progress.

The watch item: execution against the Dec. 31, 2028 funding-call deadline at both sites, and whether the Vega storage system delivers the generation-load alignment the operator is targeting.