Decision by Ploiești city appeals court over cancelled result is likely to be overturned before two-round ballot in May a Romanian district appeals court has ruled barely a week before the rerun of the country’s presidential election that the constitutional court’s decision cancelling the original vote should itself be annulled Romania’s central electoral bureau said on Thursday night that the ruling by the Ploiești city appeals court would not affect the two-round ballot and legal experts have said constitutional court decisions are final The original first round last November was won by Călin Georgescu, a far-right, anti-EU, Moscow-friendly independent who declared zero campaign spending but surged from less than 5% days before the vote to finish first on 23%. Read moreThe constitutional court annulled the vote after declassified intelligence documents revealed an alleged Russian influence operation including multiple cyber-attacks on the electoral IT system and “massive” social media meddling in Georgescu’s favour Romania’s far-right parties denounced the string of court decisions as an anti-democratic establishment coup and national conservatives abroad – including the Trump administration – accused Bucharest of suppressing its political opponents is leading the polls ahead of the centrist mayor of Bucharest representing the ruling Social Democratic party (PSD) and the centre-right National Liberal party (PNL) The Ploiești appeals court said it “admitted the claim” and “suspended execution of the 6 December constitutional court decision” annulling the election A counter-appeal has already been lodged and will be heard by the high court within days A former constitutional court judge and justice minister, Tudorel Toader, told the Digi24.ro news outlet that constitutional court decisions were in any case “final generate effects from publication in the official gazette Toader said an appeals court judge “has no competence over constitutional jurisdiction which is outside the judicial system” and such a ruling could “categorically not” be implemented “Who knows what considerations he had,” Toader said Free newsletterA digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day Another former judge, Cristi Danileț, agreed, telling Digi24 that no court could “suspend or annul a decision of the constitutional court – even more so a decision that has already been implemented by issuing the orders to organise new elections” Danileț said the Ploiești decision was a “judicial aberration” that resulted from “the law being applied in bad faith” He said he suspected it was a result of “judicial engineering” to ensure the appeal was heard by a judge likely to find in its favour Several outlets reported that the justice ministry had ordered an investigation into whether or not the judge concerned had committed a disciplinary offence The election is being closely watched abroad: the EU would prefer not to have another nationalist disruptor in the region alongside Hungary and Slovakia, and Ukraine’s allies would prefer Romania, home to a big Nato base, to remain a strategic ally. 22 Feb 2025 18:30:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}CFR Cluj won 2–0 over Petrolul Ploiesti on Sat Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match The current head to head record for the teams are CFR Cluj 6 win(s) Have scored 5 goals in their last 5 matches 22 Feb 2025 18:30:00 GMT?CFR Cluj won 2–0 over Petrolul Ploiesti on Sat 22 Feb 2025 18:30:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 10 goals in their last 5 matches CFR Cluj is playing home against Petrolul Ploiesti at Stadionul Dr OMV Aktiengesellschaft’s majority owned OMV Petrom SA has taken final investment decision (FID) to build a new plant for production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewables-based diesel at the operator’s 4.5-million tonne/year (tpy) Petrobrazi refinery in southeast Romania Approved on June 11 at an overall investment of €560 million the proposed plant will be equipped to process a mix of biofeedstocks to produce a combined 250,000 tpy of SAF and hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO; biodiesel) including by-products such as bio-naphtha and bio-LPG the SAF-HVO plant also will enable the refinery to meet the operator’s expectations for gradually rising regional demand for low-carbon products while simultaneously helping Romania reduce renewable-fuel imports into the country OMV Petrom executive board member responsible for the operator’s downstream business OMV Petrom said it expects the refinery’s integration of green hydrogen into sustainable-fuel production will result in at least a 70% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional fuels To ensure access to a safe source of renewable feedstocks for the SAF-HVO plant OMV Petrom previously acquired a 50% stake in Respiră Verde SRL which collects up to 10,000 tpy of used edible oil—including used cooking oil—from Romanian hospitality and retail businesses such as hotels and restaurants OMV Petrom said upon revealing the acquisition in November 2023 The SAF-HVO and green hydrogen projects come as part of OMV Petrom’s broader transformation plans for the Petrobrazi refinery in line with the operator’s commitment under its Strategy 2030 to support a reduced-carbon future OMV Petrom’s chief executive officer we are committing €11 billion to transform the company for a lower-carbon future both in Romania and the region," Verchere said As part of its journey to net-zero operations by 2050, OMV Petrom earlier confirmed it is targeting production of 450,000 tpy of renewable diesel and SAF from sustainable feedstock by 2030 per the operator’s sustainability framework launched in 2021 (OGJ Online, Oct. 13, 2022) In 2022, the Petrobrazi refinery began tests runs for production of SAF via co-processing of locally produced rapeseed oil following a pilot program at the site performed in July 2020 (OGJ Online, Nov. 19, 2020) Robert Brelsford joined Oil & Gas Journal in October 2013 as downstream technology editor after 8 years as a crude oil price and news reporter on spot crude transactions at the US Gulf Coast He holds a BA (2000) in English from Rice University and an MS (2003) in education and social policy from Northwestern University which is being established as part of NSK Europe’s EIBU geographic expansion plan will be fully functional by the end of September 2024.  Ploiesti is located close to Bucharest Airport and will offer NSK additional opportunities to develop its business across Southeastern Europe customer services and broader technical support throughout Romania offering the full range of NSK products across the new territory larger size bearings for sectors including steel cement and quarrying and mining are expected to be in high demand Valentin Blanaru will head up the new office as Territory Manager Romania He has spent the past 15 years at NSK and will take responsibility for sales and customer support activities within his new territory Free access to this content is for qualifying individuals only Corporate and institutional access requires an appropriate license or subscription For more information contact institutions@markallengroup.com Metrics details An Author Correction to this article was published on 26 July 2022 This article has been updated Refineries and petrochemical industries are known to be the principal sources of emissions for a number of air pollutants The primary goal of this research was the time series analysis of PM2.5 SO2 and O3 over an eleven-year period (2009–2019) and the connection between air pollution and meteorological parameters (air temperature precipitation quantity and relative humidity) Regarding the pollution level of the major pollutants were detected during the cold period (in winter) The air pollutants’ concentration and distribution are affected by meteorological parameters the highest concentrations in the winter season were 1.25 times higher than in autumn 1.3 times higher than the average annual value 1.57 times higher than in spring and 1.79 times higher than in summer Monthly variation of O3 showed lower concentration during winter (27.62 µg/m3) and higher in summer (46.42 µg/m3) a significant Spearman correlation was detected between the studied air pollutants and meteorological parameters and according to the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis The main objective of this research study was to analyze the temporal distribution of the selected air pollutants and the variation of the meteorological parameters (precipitation quantity air temperature and relative humidity) over an 11-year period (2009–2019) in Ploiesti one of the most polluted regions in Romania Annual mean concentrations were calculated by averaging monthly values of each year. For the multiannual trend determination, the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) was calculated using Microsoft Excel (Eq. (1)) The highest concentration in case of gaseous pollutants was recorded for CO with 0.28 (± 0.07) mg/L 27.37 (± 6.82) μg/m3 and 12.28 (± 4.6) μg/m3 Analyzing the variation of climatological parameters the multiannual average daily precipitation quantity was 3.22 (± 3.12) mm the temperature 13.06°C (± 8.73) and the relative humidity 70.88 (± 9.6) The annual variation of mean concentrations of air pollutants and environmental parameters the highest decreasing trend was observed in the case of As Between the meteorological parameters the precipitation quantity was reduced by 8.83% the relative humidity and temperature increased by 0.54% and 0.24% the concentrations of air pollutants decreased continuously due to the implementation of the new ambient air quality standards Multiannual monthly variation of the studied air pollutants The analysis underlines the differences between the seasons: the highest levels of air pollutants were identified in winter season and was 1.25 times higher than in autumn (the minimum ratio of 0.97 was recorded in the case of m-xylene while the maximum of 2.15 for CO) 1.3 times higher than the annual concentration (1.11 as a minimum for m-xylene and 2 as maximum for CO) 1.57 times higher than in spring (the lowest ratio of 1.21 was observed for NO2−—meanwhile the highest 3.29 for CO) and 1.79 times higher than in summer (with 1.16 as the minimum for o-xyleneand 4.74 for CO) air temperature (°C) and relative humidity (%) multiannual monthly concentrations during the years 2009–2019 Box lower (grey) and upper (yellow) limits represent the second and third quartiles The ends of the whiskers represent the minimum and the maximum values To decipher the relationship between the studied parameters, Spearman’s correlation rank analysis was carried out. In total 117 monthly average concentration values were used, and the correlation coefficients between two parameters were considered statistically significant at P < 0.05 and r ≥  + 0.182 and r ≤  − 0.182 (Fig. 4). Spearman correlation coefficients between the studied air pollutants and environmental parameters Based on the Spearman rank correlation results a very high positive correlation was observed between the fine (PM2.5) and coarse particulate (PM10) matter (r = 0.82) Ni and Pb) determined from the PM10 fraction show significant correlation of 0.34 the BTEX components correlate with each other very well and the nitrogen oxides show positive correlation with the PM’s Significant negative correlation was found between SO2 and BTEX components and a negative correlation was detected between the O3 and all studied parameters Further investigations need to be carried out in order to decipher and better understand the underlying processes behind strong and negative correlations as well Hierarchical cluster analysis of the studied air pollutants Principal Component (PC) loadings for all studied air pollutants and for the studied period with corresponding eigenvalues and variances are given in Table 3 and loading factors of air pollutants in three-dimensional spaces are presented in Fig. 6. Component plot in rotated space (left) and scree plot (right) of the studied air pollutants Through the PCA the data were transformed into the new coordinate system the greatest variance by scalar projection is the first component the second greatest variance is defined as the second component and the same order is following in the third and the fourth component According to the Principal Component Analysis four components were extracted from the component matrix accounting for 75.1% of the overall variance and represent 33.54% of the total variance The third and fourth components include Ni and Cd as well as temperature The adequacy of the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling was 0.795 which means that the tested samples show good adequacy the studied parameters which are localized near to each other are in the same cluster CO2) were not studied in this article because they were not monitored during the studied period The aim of the present study was to identify the level air pollution and the relationship between environmental parameters and pollutants in one of the most polluted regions in Romania The results revealed that the application of time series analysis can give information on the temporal trends of pollutants near the oil refinery In concordance with many other industrial activities petrochemical industry and refineries have a negative effect on air quality Compared to the first reference year (2009) all studied air pollutants showed a decreasing trend during the studied years Seasonal analysis of the pollutant concentrations revealed that the highest values were measured in cold season Variation of O3 and SO2 showed an opposite trend lower concentration in winter and higher concentration in summer Based on the cluster analysis some pollutants may share common sources air pollutants in the same sub-cluster may have common origin In order to minimize the human health effects of the air pollutants it is essential to respect the Air Quality standards The statistical interpretation of the air pollution distribution can contribute to the development of new and more sector-specific and regional air quality standards regarding oil refineries to reduce air pollution The main reason why pollution levels decreased in the last years was mainly attributed to the implementation of the new air quality standards for the industry and on the other hand to the changes in transportation The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17284-y Concern about petrochemical health risk before and after a refinery explosion Air quality impacts of petroleum refining and petrochemical industries and Safety Guidelines for Petroleum Refining (World Bank Group Advances in CO2 capture technology—The US Department of Energy’s carbon sequestration program Optimal production planning and pollution control in petroleum refineries using mathematical programming and dispersion models A multidimensional approach to the influence of wind on the variations of particulate matter and associated heavy metals in Ploiesti city A review on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Source The characteristics of BTEX concentration in various types of environment in the Baltic Sea Region Environmental Impact of the Petroleum Industry (2003) Outdoor air pollution and respiratory health in patients with COPD Systematic review and meta-analysis of the adverse health effects of ambient PM2.5 and PM10 pollution in the Chinese population WHO Air quality guidelines for particulate matter Association of particulate matter impact on prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Ahvaz Health impact assessment associated with exposure to PM10 and dust storms in Kuwait Toxic metal content of particulate matter (PM10) Source origin of trace elements in PM from regional background Adverse health impacts of living near an oil refinery in Jordan Trace elements and human health risks assessment of finer aerosol atmospheric particles (PM1) Ozone pollution: A major health hazard worldwide Hazardous effects of petrochemical industries: A review Assessment of the contribution of hazardous air pollutants from Nigeria’s petroleum refineries to ambient air quality Association between NOx exposure and deaths caused by respiratory diseases in a medium-sized Brazilian city Environmental impact and human health risks of air pollutants near a large chemical/petrochemical complex: Case study in Tarragona Effect of petrochemical industrial emissions of reactive alkenes and NOx on tropospheric ozone formation in Houston New indices for wet scavenging of air pollutants (O3 http://www.calitateaer.ro/public/home-page/?__locale=ro https://www.worldatlas.com/maps/romania www.calitateaer.ro Air Quality—Determination of the PM10 Fraction of Suspended Particulate Matter (2002) Ambient Air Quality—Standard Method for the Measurement of Pb and Ni in the PM10 Fraction of Suspended Particulate Matter (2005) Ambient Air—Standard Method for the Measurement of Benzene Concentrations—Automated Pumped Sampling With In Situ Gas Chromatography (2015) Air Quality—Measurement of Stationary Source Emissions—Requirements for Measurement Sections and Sites and for the Measurement Objective Ambient Air—Standard Method for the Measurement of the Concentration of Carbon Monoxide by Non-dispersive Infrared Spectroscopy (2013) Ambient Air—Standard Method for the Measurement of the Concentration of Nitrogen Dioxide and Nitrogen Monoxide by Chemiluminescence (2012) Ambient Air—Standard Method for the Measurement of the Concentration of Sulphur Dioxide by Ultraviolet Fluorescence Ambient Air—Standard Method for the Measurement of the Concentration of Ozone by Ultraviolet Photometry (2012) Source apportionment of air pollution: A case study in Malaysia Risks assessment of heavy metals on public health associated with atmospheric exposure to PM2.5 in urban area Analysis of non-methane hydrocarbon data from a monitoring station affected by oil and gas development in the Eagle Ford shale Long-term trends and health impact of PM2.5 and O3 in Tehran PM2.5 and PM1 during the monsoon and the winter at New Delhi Application of k-means and hierarchical clustering techniques for analysis of air pollution: A review (1980–2019) Atmospheric BTEX concentrations in the vicinity of the crude oil refinery of the Baltic region Assessment of air pollution around coal mining area: Emphasizing on spatial distributions using cluster and principal component analysis Download references The authors thank the financial support of the University of Pécs Doctoral School of Chemistry and the provision of data by the Romanian National Environment Agency This work was supported by the ÚNKP-21-3-II New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology from the source of the National Research Development and Innovation Fund and by Collegium Talentum Open access funding provided by Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania Institute for Research and Development for Hunting and Mountain Resources The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations The original online version of this Article was revised: In the original version of this Article Róbert Szép was incorrectly affiliated with ‘Faculty of Natural Sciences Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16015-7 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology (2024) Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering (2024) Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Microbiology newsletter — what matters in microbiology research The one-day storm in Ploiești ended after less than 24 hours at the High Court of Cassation and Justice (ÎCCJ) which made a predictable decision in accordance with the law and its own case law The court cannot annul/suspend a jurisdictional decision of the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) the judge from the Ploiești Court of Appeal did not have the legal competence to rule on CCR Decision No This does not mean that the issue has disappeared If the premise on which the judge relied to establish his jurisdiction namely that Decision 32 would be an administrative act not all arguments put forth in the reasoning are equal Some of the aspects that Judge Alexandru Vasile invokes are at least worth analyzing He believes that the CCR has exceeded its powers both through self-referral That it did not meet legal deadlines and did not have clear evidence when it annulled the elections There are lingering questions haunting Romanian society since December for which there has not been a consistent answer until now which we now see all candidates flocking to But several key questions remain unanswered to this day that we have an abusive Constitutional Court precisely because there is no legal recourse against its decisions The simple fact that the judge from Ploiești did not have the right to rule does not mean that his entire reasoning is wrong Our biggest problem is not that a judge went off the rails There was a solution for his misstep within 24 hours The biggest problem is that for years we have had an abusive Constitutional Court whose decisions cannot be legally censored but the issue is that legally this cannot be judged And this absolute power has allowed the CCR to extend its power over the panels and decisions of the High Court of Cassation and Justice over certain legal provisions for which it had not been legally notified over the dismissal of the head of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) behind the decision in Ploiești there is a political logic The courts of appeal have been inundated with requests from private individuals encouraged and advised publicly on social networks by former judges sympathetic to Georgescu whom we continue to see one of the actions would reach a "back for round two" judge Or perhaps just exasperated by the long series of abuses through which the CCR systematically humiliated judges The swift reaction of the ÎCCJ and the investigation of Judge Alexandru Vasile are strong signals to prevent such deviations from occurring again But part of the harm has already been done Because the decision and reasoning of the judge from Ploiești have rubbed salt on an unhealed wound and may lead to an even greater mobilization of the extremist or at least anti-system wing which is encouraged to see the speed of the ÎCCJ as a show of force by the system have fallen into the trap of unacceptable and extremely profitable politicization for those who challenge the rule of law There were candidates who felt the need to praise the decision in Ploiești a candidate for the highest office in the state has no right to comment on the correctness of a court decision especially one that is not final and is subject to review This is how those who declared all convicted criminals in justice as victims and paraded them to court dates operated If we now accept that a politician can qualify a court decision it means that the defenders of criminals were also in the right in the name of the alleged incorrectness of court decisions plotted the assault of the CCR on the laws and courts of Romania with the effects we know The principle is not that what suits us is good and what doesn't is bad and its violation is equally wrong regardless of the interest And in the case of a presidential candidate who pronounces on a court decision what is the relationship to the rule of law Sidel has delivered a central palletising system composed of eight robotic cells connected to 28 packing lines at Unilever’s nutrition factory in Ploiesti May 7, 2024 by Sidel has delivered a central palletising system composed of eight robotic cells Unilever is one of the world’s leading FMCG companies with sales in 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day manufactures products for one of the company’s most well-known brands The entire dry nutrition portfolio includes meal makers in various packaging formats – pouches These different product lines also handle a large variety of secondary packaging options – American boxes Unilever Ploiesti’s production capability has gradually evolved Volumes have tripled from 12,000 tons per year to 35,000 tons per year; SKUs have risen from 200 to 1000; packaging lines increased from 14 to 28; and personnel have jumped from 200 to 700 It was no longer feasible to utilise the factory’s existing end-of-line system to manage the breadth of brands packed on-site Unilever Ploiesti has invested in a new central palletising solution fundamentally designed for continuous production site transformations Sidel installed a centralised palletising system comprising eight robotic cells; several hundred metres of case and pallet conveyors; four pallet handling shuttles; and two stretch wrappers achieving a production rate of up to 98 pallets an hour This consolidated system is connected to 28 packing lines.  The robotic cells are divided into two separate clusters – one with five robots Each cluster has one central pallet magazine for all pallet types and sizes one induction shuttle for full pallet discharge and one compact shuttle for empty pallet delivery integrated underneath the robotic islands According to the capacity of each packing line and the palletising pattern requested the cells have three or four product infeeds ensuring a robot utilisation rate of 92 per cent.  Unilever’s masterplan for the Ploiesti site was to keep the palletisation space in a separate area from the packing hall to easily accommodate the recurring packing line modifications Sidel proposed a high-level conveying solution with spiral elevators to save space facilitate circulation and increase the overall flexibility linked to site transformations comments: “We’ve been impressed by Sidel’s design capability to fit the detailed palletising specifications we required in a compact area and simultaneously oversee the complexity and high throughput coming from the packing lines.”  however the solution developed by Sidel is based on standard proven modules which have been developed and implemented in other projects avoiding any complex start-up issues brought by a made-to-order one-shot solution Sidel was able to demonstrate its proposed arrangement using virtual reality glasses which allowed Unilever to visualise the full installation check the space constraints and solve potential issues related to platforms the operators’ access and the raw material flows Speed simulations also helped to confirm the speed levels and the robot utilisation rate Sidel’s project management spanned from factory acceptance testing to site installation All eight robot cells were completed in less than eight months The modular concept accelerated installation as each cell was commissioned individually and at once integrated into the factory’s live packaging operations Laurentiu adds: “Spending a little bit more time in design and simulations helped during the installation phase The virtual model fitted exactly in the physical space so that we achieved the desired throughput in a very short time.”   The central palletising system is integrated into the Unilever digital process As soon as the operator selects the production order from the packing line all the information related to the palletisation is all automatically set and transmitted to the corresponding palletising cell and the entire end-of-line setup.  we prioritise energy reduction as we’re aiming to achieve a zero-carbon footprint by 2030 By using an energy saving module for each robotic cell of this palletising installation from Sidel we’re able to generate energy from the robotic arm deceleration and re-inject it into the network to be used by other robots or equipment within the line when a packing line is stopped for cleaning or changeover conveyors enter standby mode as the photocells detect no products are being transported.” Other Topics: , , , you consent to receive marketing emails from Asia Food Journal You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link Your go-to resource for all the latest trends and news about the food and beverage industry Disclaimer: Translations on this website are automated using Google Translate as machine translations may contain errors consider seeking professional human translation We are not liable for any reliance on the translated content Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești Bishop Varlaam welcomed the ambassador warmly and emphasized the strong and long-standing friendship between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Georgian Orthodox Church Her Excellency expressed her appreciation for the meeting and highlighted the significance of Saint Anthimos the Iberian a historical and spiritual figure cherished by both the Romanian and Georgian peoples She described him as a symbolic bridge between the two nations Bishop Varlaam and Ambassador Beruchashvili explored concrete ways to deepen cooperation between the two Orthodox Churches They proposed initiatives to enhance the visibility of Romanian Orthodox Christianity in Georgia and promote Georgian Orthodoxy in Romania Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești wished the ambassador continued success in her diplomatic mission in Romania the Patriarchate of Jerusalem solemnly celebrated the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women... Archbishop Elpidophoros of America celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Monastery of the Theotokos.. it was announced that two Roman Catholic institutions in Bavaria have decided to jointly.. A car once used by Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to Bethlehem is being transformed into a mobile.. the Monastery of Saint Vlash in Albania hosted a festal Divine Liturgy on the.. Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece presided over the festal Great Vespers at the historic.. (function() { window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { listeners: [] cb) { window.mc4wp.listeners.push( { event : evt callback: cb } ); } } }})(); © 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website These cookies do not store any personal information Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website The stories of the American airmen in Romania should never be forgotten After a journey of 1200 miles from Benghazi an air armada of 178 B-24 Liberators arrived at their destination in the early afternoon of August 1 the aircraft had taken a route via Corfu and the Pindus Mountains the American pilots could visualize their target: the massive oil refinery complex at Ploesti   Under the code-name Operation TIDAL WAVE the mission combined five bomb groups from the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces TIDAL WAVE completely broke with established US Army Air Forces (USAAF) policy the B-24s would drop their bombs from 200—800 feet in the air With the Liberators coming in so low and having the element of surprise Smart expected an inferno to ensue on the ground in Ploesti Gerstenberg also had smoke generators at his disposal and had placed barrage balloons near the most valued installations The steel cables of these balloons could rip off the Liberators’ aluminum wings and Bulgarian fighters awaited the colonel’s orders the B-24 formations did not approach the city at the same time due to navigational errors.  Ben Kuroki, a path-breaking Japanese-American airman, was a gunner in one of the Liberators in Operation TIDAL WAVE. It was the 24th of his eventual 58 missions. In his interview with Museum historian Tom Gibbs he recalled how “terrifying” the attack on Ploesti was “flames even 50 feet higher than our plane” shot into the sky Kuroki said he “felt sure we were doomed” and deemed it a “miracle we didn’t catch on fire” flying over the targets at such a low altitude.  “there was smoke all around us.” He watched helplessly as a Liberator struck by enemy fire crashed into a three-story brick building “That’s 10 men gone,” Fitzgerald told himself Fitzgerald was as surprised as anyone when his B-24 was able to pull away from Ploesti.  claims that 310 American airmen died during the assault Miller also points out that the Ploesti raid was “one of the only air strikes of the war in which more airmen were killed than civilians” (116 Romanian civilians and military personnel died) Romanian civilians and officials buried the dead The Germans quickly mobilized thousands of forced laborers to repair the extensive damage to the complex the facilities refined more oil than before the assault The terrible losses from Operation TIDAL WAVE remembered since as “Bloody Sunday,” meant that American leadership would not attempt another major strike against the Romanian oil industry for eight months Americans often overlook the role Romania played in World War II  Formally joining the Axis states in November 1940 the leader of an extreme right-wing government in Bucharest became one of Nazi Germany’s most reliable allies  Two Romanian armies contributed to Hitler’s “crusade” against Bolshevism seeing extensive and brutal combat in Ukraine The Antonescu regime was principally responsible for the annihilation of between 280,000 and 380,000 Jews from Bessarabia and Bukovina (provinces lost to Stalin in 1940 and regained the following year) the area of Ukraine occupied by the Romanian military This represents the highest number of Jewish men and children murdered by an Axis nation other than Germany what commanded their attention was the crucial economic support Antonescu provided Hitler the Ploesti oilfields and complex supplied some 60 percent of the Third Reich’s crude oil The failure of the Wehrmacht’s 1942 offensive to seize Soviet oil reserves in the Caucasus only enhanced the importance of Romanian oil Executive Director of the Museum’s Institute for the Study of War and Democracy “putting Romania in the ‘minor ally’ box really isn’t correct.” The size of and risk incurred in the Ploesti raid shows just how seriously the US military leadership took Romanian support for the Axis war effort When American attacks on Romanian oil fields and refineries finally restarted in early April 1944 airfields seized by the Allies in southern Italy shortened the distance to Ploesti considerably The flight was only half as long as before The recently created Fifteenth Air Force could also send heavy bombers there with new P-51 Mustang fighters supplying protection the entire way complemented by strikes by the Royal Air Force the Germans did not defend the oil refineries any less ferociously they doubled the number of anti-aircraft guns and deployed well over 200 fighters to cover Ploesti Skillful use of decoy fires added to the likelihood of missing the real targets The prospect of combat over Ploesti appealed to many young American pilots. Freddie Ohr, the Korean-American ace flew one of the P-51s in the 1944 missions “Everyone wanted to go to Ploesti,” he said “That’s where the fighting was.” The Romanian city was still perilous Ohr sustained so much damage to his Mustang in a raid that he barely made it home the cost to the AAF remained high: 222 heavy bombers using P-38 Lightnings to surprise the Axis defenders experienced losses heavy enough that it was not repeated the series of air attacks in the spring and then summer of 1944 accomplished an enormous amount  The bombing wrought tremendous destruction on the complex and its supply system The Luftwaffe could not replace the planes and pilots lost in battles with the P-51s the Romanians began to abandon Ploesti’s air-defense apparatus in the summer months The Red Army’s redoubtable Jassy-Kishinev Offensive 1944 by General Tolbukhin’s 3rd Ukrainian Front and General Malinovsky’s 2nd Ukrainian Front delivered hammer blows to the German Army Group South Ukraine Tolbukhin and Malinovsky’s forces fielded almost a million men The offensive prompted the overthrow of Antonescu by the young King Michael and Romania’s quick return to hostilities as an enemy of the Third Reich Once more a German Sixth Army was demolished Inflicting over 380,000 total casualties on the Wehrmacht the Soviets occupied the country by early September. Antonescu would face the full severity of justice for the crimes of his dictatorship Mack Fitzgerald's Romanian captors told him and the other flyers they were free just shot down in a B-24 over Ploesti on August 17 After Gunn informed the Americans about the POWs in the Bucharest area B-17 Flying Fortresses soon arrived there to retrieve Fitzgerald and the others Freddie Ohr escorted one group of these B-17s back to the American airfield at Foggia Some of the famous Tuskegee Airmen also participated in this mission that transported more than 1,100 American airmen to Italy The legacy of the American air war in Romania is still with us two decades into the 21st Century More than 80 flyers who perished in the Ploesti raid or the 1944 missions remain unrecovered the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has been cooperating with the Romanian government to identify This partnership has involved careful scrutiny of crash sites The stories of the airmen—those who survived and those who have not yet been brought home—and their efforts to strike a blow against Antonescu and the economic lifeline of the Nazi regime should never be forgotten is ASU WWII Studies Consultant in the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy.  Copy MLA Citation Copy APA Citation Copy Chicago Style Citation the day after V-E Day was officially confirmed Eleanor Roosevelt reflects on the cautious mood The concept of genocide has fundamentally altered international law transforming the way we understand mass violence in the modern world.  Whether it played the role of the “Black Cat,” “Mad Cat,” or “Dumbo,” the PBY Catalina proved itself as one of the most instrumental amphibious planes as it struck fear in the Axis and provided hope for the Allies Regarded as the “most beautiful woman in the world,” Hedy Lamarr was not only a famous Hollywood actress who sold millions in war bonds during World War II Her creations included a frequency-hopping radio communications device for Allied torpedoes during the war including ghettos and other sites of incarceration from imprisoning "enemies of the state" to serving as way stations in larger deportation schemes to murdering people in gas chambers.  the remains of Private First Class John Henry Newstrom a US Marine killed during the Battle of Peleliu in 1944 have been identified and will be returned home thanks to a joint recovery effort by the US and Japanese governments In her first My Day column after Franklin D Eleanor Roosevelt reflects on the sorrow following his passing and urges the world to unite in building a lasting Controlling the Ryukyu Islands would allow the Americans to finally sever Japan from its South Asian empire.  View Campus Map 04 Apr 2025 17:30:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Petrolul Ploiesti won 2–1 over Sepsi OSK on Fri This is 3 of the Superliga Relegation Group The current head to head record for the teams are Petrolul Ploiesti 1 win(s) Have kept the most clean sheets in the competition (13) Haven't scored in their last 2 matches Have scored 4 goals in their last 5 matches Haven't kept a clean sheet in 7 matches 04 Apr 2025 17:30:00 GMT?Petrolul Ploiesti won 2–1 over Sepsi OSK on Fri 04 Apr 2025 17:30:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 1 goals in their last 5 matches Petrolul Ploiesti is playing home against Sepsi OSK at Stadionul Ilie Oana on Fri services and solutions for the commercial and military aerospace The non-final, but enforceable decision of the Ploiești Court of Appeal regarding the annulment and suspension, pending the final decision, of Constitutional Court Decision no. 32/2024 The explanation can be found in all judicial decisions including those of the High Court of Cassation and Justice which have so far rejected all actions on this matter by the legal team of Călin Georgescu: it is not within the jurisdiction of the courts to annul or suspend Constitutional Court decisions And it is highly unlikely that it will remain final after the appeal to the High Court of Cassation and Justice is judged already filed by the Prosecutor's Office of the Ploiești Court of Appeal it might take a while because the trial cannot take place until the judge from Ploiești drafts the reasoning What is interesting now is what effects this suspension can have On one hand - the annulment of the elections the organization of a new electoral process that is currently underway the suspension from Ploiești makes no reference to all the regulatory acts governing the organization of the elections in May This is why the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) avoided chaos and stated that it does not suspend the electoral process, the campaign continues. But if by May 4th there is no final decision at the High Court of Cassation and Justice rejecting the suspension there could be significant legal issues regarding the legality of the elections There is certainly bewilderment in Western embassies in Bucharest which probably no longer understand anything about what is truly incomprehensible It is crucial to understand and hope that at some point it will be clarified what is behind this judicial decision from Ploiești that blatantly violates the law and the choice between them depends primarily on the reaction of the Judicial Inspection and the Superior Council of Magistracy possibly sympathetic to certain political currents the High Court of Cassation and Justice will resolve the appeal as soon as it has the reasoning and the judge in question will be investigated by the Judicial Inspection for applying the law in bad faith after which the Superior Council of Magistracy will impose the appropriate sanction If the system's reaction to the oddity in Ploiești is lacking, we can consider that the political system has received a signal from the judicial system through it. Let's not forget that judges have previously used their exceptional power for personal gain, for example, when they increased their salaries through this means. Regardless of the causes and explanations, one thing is certain: the Romanian state, not yet completely dysfunctional, is extremely fragile, with essential institutions being eroded by incompetence or corruption.  11 Apr 2025 17:30:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Hermannstadt vs Petrolul Ploiesti on Fri This is 4 of the Superliga Relegation Group The current head to head record for the teams are Hermannstadt 4 win(s) Have scored 3 goals in their last 5 matches 11 Apr 2025 17:30:00 GMT?Hermannstadt vs Petrolul Ploiesti on Fri 11 Apr 2025 17:30:00 GMT ended in a 1–1 tie.InsightsHave scored 8 goals in their last 5 matches Hermannstadt is playing home against Petrolul Ploiesti at Stadionul Municipal Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Montenegro in Bucharest head of the Ambassador’s office at the Montenegrin Embassy in Bucharest Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești extended a warm welcome to the Montenegrin delegation and conveyed the blessings of Patriarch Daniel Bishop Varlaam also underscored the robust collaborative relationship between Romania and Montenegro Đurović responded by expressing his appreciation for his cordial reception at the Romanian Patriarchate and emphasizing Romania’s backing of Montenegro’s endeavors to become a member of the European Union Bishop Varlaam also noted the annual pilgrimages that numerous Orthodox Christians from the Balkans make to Iași for the feast day of Saint Paraskeva a celebration that symbolizes Orthodox unity in Eastern Europe Đurović was assured of the Romanian Patriarchate’s ongoing support by Bishop Varlaam who also wished him great success in his diplomatic role in Romania at the conclusion of the meeting The Montenegrin delegation toured the significant chambers of the Patriarchal Palace following the discussions Celebrating ten years of activity in Romania the business card of the largest industrial and business park in South-eastern Europe includes: an investment of several hundred million euros 50 renowned companies that offer jobs just a few miles from Ploiesti social involvement and excellent relationships with local authorities and community 7 oil & gas companies are also carrying out their activity within Ploiesti West Park (PWP) These are: General Electric – Lufkin Industries; Schlumberger; Halliburton; Oil Services Limited Eastern Europe; Odfjell Well Services; Lubbers Romania and Saipem What once was a simple arid area on the outskirts of Ploiesti has become an example of best practice in terms of development concern for the environment and social involvement To understand the size of the investment coming exclusively from foreign capital 100% private we recall some of the important companies that chose to become partners of Alinso Group General Electric – Lufkin Industries the list being completed up to the 50 companies that currently occupy the business park With Romania’s accession to the European Union and the positive signals received from this part of Europe the Belgian group has participated with over EUR 100 million in setting up the area covering 300 hectares of land Companies have been attracted by facilities offered here construction adapted to client requirements consulting and assistance to relocation and utilities at European standards Other arguments that convinced foreign investors to bring in Prahova hundreds of millions of euros was the strategic position of the region which is an important traffic hub that links to any area of Europe Any type of freight transport can leave on the railroad of the intermodal rail terminal developed by Alinso Group more than 50 clients have entered the park all with the mission to create value and an inspiring working environment More than 2,000 employees are happy to work in this park every day and many other jobs have been created outside the park and that is to create jobs that inspire and motivate everything in harmony with the environment We are proud of the flexibility and multifunctionality of our facilities,” says Ivan Lokere “Domo Investment Group decided in 2008 to invest in Alinso Group in a business park near Ploiesti based on confidence that the economic development of the region and attractiveness of investments in Ploiesti could be excellent for production and services It was also essential that the regional and national authorities have maintained their support for this effort Business parks can remain attractive for potential investors seeking opportunities in a very competitive market only if excellent services are provided to these clients I believe Ivan Lokere and his team have done a great job in this regard The Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium is proud to point to this investment as an example of the excellent economic relations between the two countries within the European Union but also for Ploieşti and the region,” said Thomas Baekelandt Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Romania has provided investors with assurances on the support of the institution he runs and local authorities for business development The situation of investments near Ploiesti is summarized by the President of Prahova Chamber of Commerce and Industry as follows: “Ploiesti West Park has set a new standard in terms of business parks joy and emotion what happened ten years ago when I was honoured to attend the opening ceremony of this beautiful investment during which NATO Secretary General Willy Claes that this investment would mean very much for Romania and that it would reach the figure of one billion euro as it was the moment when the doors were being opened for the economic crisis that had become visible for Romania as well it has become the largest private industrial park in South-Eastern Europe of the 300 hectares 200 being already occupied with an investment of almost EUR 800 million and with 2,500 jobs have established here,” Aurelian Gogulescu mentioned especially that more and more investments are announced in the area All News FIDE News Chess News Top Top Federations Main Page / Search Tournaments Titles Transfers Calculators Download FIDE Circuit Women's Events '24-'25 Open Cycle 2025-2026 Women’s Cycle 2025-2026 Women’s Cycle 2023-2025 All Tournaments Main Events About FIDE Handbook Documents Financial Reports Officials Commissions & Committees Federations Affiliated Organizations Affiliated Members Honourable Dignitaries Chart together with the Romanian Chess Federation Ploiesti municipality and Prahova County Council Prahova Chess County Association and Romanian Education Ministry invite schools to participate in the 1st edition of the International Schools Chess Festival The event will take place from July 3-9 in the Culture Palace in the city of Ploiesti Any FIDE member federation and any FIDE continental federation can register school teams for the competition schools can directly register teams to participate Each team representing a school shall consist of four players – 2 boys and 2 girls Players must have FIDE ID and shall not have reached the age of 12 before January 1 FIDE established a special award for the competition winner: 1st ranked team will be eligible for a travelling grant and accommodation at the World Schools Team Championship in Kazakhstan Regulations for 1st International Schools Chess Festival Official website: https://iscu.info/ Photo: cjph.ro/ © 2025 FIDE International Chess Federation stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means) without the written permission of FIDE International Chess Federation Unilever invested EUR 48 million in the last three years in the factory from Ploiesti The company expanded their Ploiesti Food Factory from 6,000 sqm to 17,000 sqm making it one of their most advanced European facilities the powder detergents production is planned to be relocated and the Unilever factory in Ploiesti would exclusively focus on the production of food products “The production lines in Ploiesti are the source of some of the most appreciated food products in our regional portfolio This direction is also in line with the economic need for food products the factory now producing different assortments for more than 20 countries in the region“ “Colleagues are our main priority at the moment and we are focusing our efforts to find the best solutions for them” This change will not affect the Unilever product portfolio available to Romanian consumers. Romania holds a strategic position in the region with a local history spanning over 30 years since the company contributes to improving Romanians lives with over 20 brands Unilever currently has in Romania a team of over 1.500 colleagues We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used Operation Tidal Wave was meant to destroy Nazi-controlled oil fields and refineries at Ploiești with 1,725 airmen taking off in 177 bombers took a heavy toll on the US airmen involved: 225 of them were killed earning the day the grim nickname Black Sunday Many of those fallen airmen were not immediately recovered or identified the US Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has been using archival research and modern forensics — including DNA analysis from exhumed skeletal remains — to account for airmen still missing from the 1943 mission The "Ploiești Unknowns Project," which began in 2017 has so far identified remains of 19 Tidal Wave airmen and notified their descendants the Pentagon has announced the identification of five Ploiești airmen: Sgt Operation Tidal Wave was the Allies' first large-scale low-altitude raid against a well-defended Axis target The oil fields and refineries spread across the 18-square-mile complex produced one-third of the Reich's oil which powered everything from cars and tanks to planes and warships They also knew such a mission would be costly Training for Operation Tidal Wave took place in Libya where airmen from five different bomb groups lived mainly in tents in the sweltering desert around Benghazi a variety of conditions made an already treacherous mission even more dangerous and dealing with maintenance issues caused by the harsh desert conditions The commander of the 44th Bomb Group warned his airmen that only half of them were likely to survive Radio operator Norm Kiefer remembers a briefing officer saying "the target was so important that if we lost all of the attacking force but destroyed the refineries The message to airmen was that this single raid could shorten the war by as much as six months flying in formation across the Mediterranean toward their targets keeping radio silence to evade German radar Yet little went as planned on the path to Ploiești Navigation issues led entire squadrons off course The airmen encountered heavy German resistance The Germans also set smoke pots ablaze in the bombers' path to obscure targets and blind Allied pilots Billowing clouds of black smoke limited visibility and interfered with navigation as the B-24s descended to drop their bombs They flew so low — just 50 feet off the ground — that gunners on the bombers had to aim up at anti-aircraft guns on the roofs of buildings Other disguised defenses — anti-aircraft guns hidden among train tracks and surrounding fields — greeted the vulnerable bombers as they streaked toward their targets Operation Tidal Wave proved that the USAAF could carry out large-scale offensive bombing raids More than 50 of the 177 bombers involved did not return German soldiers in the region captured 32 airmen alive and collected the remains of some who had been killed Crashed bombers and bodies left a horrifying scene around Ploiești Because the bombers flew in waves and had separate targets and because in many cases they missed their targets or purposely veered off-course after being hit Allied forces struggled to recover the scattered "They crashed all over the place," said Christine Cohn the lead DPAA historian on the Ploiești Unknowns Project but most were killed as they were flying so low." Romanian citizens worked to locate fallen airmen after the raid burying them in the Civilian and Military Cemetery in Ploiesti and in 10 smaller cemeteries in nearby villages the American Graves Registration Command attempted to recover fallen Americans from across the European Theater There was a joint effort to exhume remains of US airmen in and around Ploiești German POWs were sometimes tasked with excavating the graves The conditions of the remains and their burials made identification harder Evidence of each soldier's identity — things like dog tags — was often missing Excavated remains were sent to France and Belgium for bone analysis to help determine height Scientists studied what was left of the airmens' mouths using fillings and missing teeth to help with identification the US government suspended its Return of the Dead program pausing active searches to recover World War II remains Some 80 US airmen killed over Ploiești remained unidentified Many of their exhumed remains were stored in Belgium where they were essentially untouched for nearly 50 years A 21st-century change in government policy opened the door to using forensics to identify soldiers' bodies That led the DPAA to launch the latest effort to exhume and identify the remains of Tidal Wave airmen in graves marked as "unknown." Cohn commended Romanian civilians for burying the fallen airmen during the war but said the way bodies were buried — sometimes with multiple bodies in one casket — complicates the identification process Cohn has spent the last several years doing in-depth research to build cases that the Department of Defense should approve the disinterment of specific remains by demonstrating that a successful identification is likely She studies the raid and peruses photos of remains using evidence and a lot of Excel spreadsheets to narrow down who each "unknown" airman could be the skeletal remains are sent to anthropologists at a DPAA lab in Nebraska where they examine the bones and try to match them to a specific file works with a US Army genealogist to contact descendants believed to be related to specific missing airmen sharing details and requesting DNA samples to compare to the skeletal remains The recent announcement of the identification of Lt Addison Baker was the 17th time the Unknowns Project team matched unidentified remains to an unaccounted-for Tidal Wave airman since the project began was commander of the 93rd Bombardment Group his B-24 was hit by an anti-aircraft shell and caught fire Instead of attempting an emergency landing Baker continued leading his formation toward the target Baker veered away from the formation to avoid a collision and tried to climb high enough for his crew to bail Baker received a posthumous Medal of Honor for his actions Baker's nephews — who knew their uncle before he went to war and provided DNA to confirm the identification of his remains — joined other family members and Army representatives to celebrate the news that Baker had been accounted for after 78 years Beyond the historical significance of the Unknowns Project Cohn sees her team's efforts as one important way to honor the ultimate sacrifice made by those airmen "It is very significant for me to be able to give closure to the families of the missing," Cohn said "It's our responsibility to go out and find them and bring them home." a World War 2 airman from Arkansas was finally laid to rest in his hometown of McGehee nearly 80 years after he was killed in action in Romania in 1943 announced recently that Staff Sergeant Ralph Donald Kolb was accounted for on September 14 Kolb's repatriation is part of an effort to exhume unknown American soldiers buried in Europe and believed to be associated with unaccounted-for airmen from Operation Tidal Wave the largest bombing mission against Axis Power oil fields and refineries in Ploiesti on which Kolb served as an assistant radio operator His remains were not identified following the war "Over the many years that Romania was a Communist country,they could not go in and find the remains got the remains--they moved them to a cemetery in Italy," said Harold Clyde Kolb Jr. who was present at the fallen airman's services on Wednesday the DPAA asked for Harold's DNA as they attempted to find his long-lost uncle they called to tell him they had identified Donald Kolb's remains "The ceremony is so great," Harold said "The honor that they give their fallen is beyond measure almost Army for the things they have done for this." served as a maintenance man in the 98th Bombardment Group in the 1950s the same group to which Donald Kolb belonged "If he'd have been with me in my timeframe I'd have been working on his airplane or he'd have been flying on one of mine," Hill said Kolb was remembered as being a hardworking man by those in McGehee according to all that I know about," Harold said Harold was only 4 years old when his uncle Donald went to war "My grandmother owned a cafe in McGehee so from her kitchen she'd put the scraps in a barrel And uncle Donald and I took them out to my grandfather's farm for pig feet," Harold said "that's the memory I have--driving out there and back." "He gave all just so that you and I could enjoy the life that we live today," Hill said refused to accept that her son was killed in action she held onto the hope that Donald would someday return home "She would be overjoyed that she finally has closure on the death of her son--her youngest son I believe that she would be eternally grateful for this event," Harold said The DPAA says that there are still over 81,000 American soldiers missing in action from World War 2 and other conflicts Three of Donald Kolb's fellow airmen aboard that ill-fated B-24 on August 1 Odfjell Well Services (OWS) is a significant player within the upstream oilfield service sector and part of Odfjell Drilling The company provides tubular running services drilling tool rental and well intervention services OWS established in Europe and the Middle East with hundreds of skilled highly qualified and engaged employees working around the world Odfjell Well Services Romania announced the expansion of their facilities by opening of a new repair shop in Ploiesti – another important millstone for their local business and the acquisition of brand-new CNC machines (Hankook Protec 9N) and other machineries ready to add value to their services In Romania Odfjell Well Services operates since 2009 but the local entity has been set up a few years later The company is presently going through a period of growth and just recently surpassed 50 employees for instance many Romanians have participated in projects in the North Sea or Middle East,” Alexandru Gomoescu – Regional Manager at Odfjell Well Services “Back in 2013 about 90% of our business was coming from Romania we were very dependent on one or two very large operators which were generating the majority of our revenue For the stability of our business we started shifting our focus towards new jurisdictions Presently about 60% of our business comes from Romania whereas the remaining 40% comes from other countries in the region,” he mentions “This regional expansion has become very important for us; we have in fact put together a new geo-market as part of our Group’s strategy We have just added new countries to our portfolio and starting out we will provide services sourced from Romania but the plan is to open new entities in the coming years Market might change fast; fluctuation in oil prices might force clients to reconsider their drilling campaigns All these will not make any change or difference for Odfjell Well Services in delivering same high quality safety and reliable services for clients in Romania and abroad In generally we keep an eye out for market developments to understand what makes most sense in terms of expansion going forward,” Alexandru Gomoescu ads Regarding the plans for the upcoming period the manager underlined that the company firstly wants to solidify its portfolio and chasing for new businesses for instance more complex projects in new areas or different (rigid) procurement practices “We are also very interested to take on more Deepwater work in the Black Sea and Mediterranean,” Alexandru Gomoescu concludes The team of the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti (PGU Ploiesti) became the European Champion of 2021 following the PetroBowl competition which took place in the period March 16-17 an inter-university competition between Student Chapters with flashcards on the technical and non-technical aspects of the oil and gas industry 15 of the most renowned relevant Universities participated the students representing PGU Ploiesti competed with students from the Polytechnic University of Milan the Norwegian University of Science and Technology the Higher Petroleum School of France and the Stavanger University of Norway in the final stage PGU Ploiesti will participate in the international stage that will take place between September 21-23 in Dubai where the best 32 teams in the world will compete for a place as honourable as possible in the world hierarchy The team of champion students consisted of the following: Andrei Blanaru master student at the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering specialization in the Engineering of Optimal Operation of Petroleum Equipment; Umberto Beli master student at the Faculty of Petroleum and Gas Engineering specialization in Well Drilling; Eduard Mihoc Reservoir Engineering specialization; Andrei Baican specialization in Reservoir Engineering and Well Drilling; David Musca (captain) third year student at the Faculty of Petroleum and Gas Engineering Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is the largest organization of students scientists and other professionals in the upstream segment of the oil and gas industry The SPE has over 140,000 members in over 140 countries The mission of the organization is to collect disseminate and exchange knowledge about the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon deposits and adjacent technologies for the good of the community which include the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti SPE Student Chapter represent organizations affiliated to the parent organization (SPE) is doubling aromatics production at its 4.5-million tpy Petrobrazi refinery in southeast Romania building a new 100,000-tpy aromatics unit to replace its current one OMV Petrom said it plans to expand the refinery’s output of SAF in the future by incorporating a wider slate of renewable waste feedstocks (Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) World War II airman Max W Lower is buried with full military honors and a military aircraft flyover on Saturday a radio operator on a B-24 Liberator bomber was killed when the plane was shot down Aug (Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) l-r Max LowerÕs brother-in-law Rulon Boyd Maughan sister Helen Lower Simmons and brother Samuel Steven Lower as Helen is given the honorary Amerian flag (Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Samuel Steven Lower gives the dedication at his brotherÕs funeral With a tearful goodbye and military honors the Lower family finally found closure as the newly identified remains of the fallen World War II veteran were buried in the cemetery at Lewiston “We are so thankful for the wonderful example he has set for us,” said Max Lower’s younger brother who was 6 years old when the family bid farewell to Lower in 1942 The next year, Max Lower was working as the radio operator on a B-24 Liberator bomber when it was shot down over Ploiesti, Romania. Some 310 airmen were killed in Operation Tidal Wave on Aug.1, 1943 — an attack on oil fields and refineries that fueled the Nazi military. Max Lower’s remains were not identified at the time; Romanian government officials were able to identify only 21 of the American bodies recovered, and they buried the rest in a Romanian military cemetery. Those remains were later moved to a U.S military cemetery in Belgium. But back at the Lower family farm in Lewiston, there was “anguish,” recalled Max Lower’s sister, Helen Simmons. Simmons was 14 when the family got word that Max Lower was missing. "It was just like a continual funeral," said Simmons, now 90. "Then when he was declared dead a year later, it all started up again." As she sat in her hometown on Saturday, watching members of the Utah National Guard fold a flag over her brother's coffin, Simmons wept. She has visited his empty grave every Memorial Day and Independence Day since he died, she said. "Last Memorial Day, I wondered, 'Will I live to see those remains back here?'" Simmons said, crying again as she clutched the flag after the funeral. Samuel Lower recalled the toll on the family after his brother's disappearance. "My sweet mother went through the most," he said. "Many, many times, people of good will would say, 'Maybe he's a prisoner,' and she would hold out hope." If his mother were here today, he said, "She would want us to get back to work and spread the good word [of] how powerful America could be if we loved each other, instead of the divisive politics we have now." The greatest tribute to his brother, he said, would be to honor the freedoms Max Lower fought for — freedoms Samuel Lower said he fears are threatened as Americans become increasingly polarized. “I’ve never seen America in a more dangerous situation than we are now,” he said. “We have to continue to work for the freedom of everyone in the world.” For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support 801-237-2900 or email subscribe@sltrib.com sltrib.com © 1996-2025 The Salt Lake Tribune CA Immo exits non-core market Serbia with the sale of the 19,600 sqm office building Sava Business Center in Belgrade Both the sales price and the buyer are subject to confidentiality As the PBSA sector finally takes off in Poland it is now increasingly attracting international operators and investors Eurobuild CEE spoke to Xior's investment manager about why it has such confidence in the Polish market Residential developer Develia has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire all the shares in Bouygues Immobilier Polska the Polish subsidiary of Bouygues Immobilier ESA logistika has leased 15,000 sqm in Prologis Park Piotrków GLP has completed the development of its Wrocław V Logistics Centre and has received a BREEAM rating of Outstanding Panattoni has secured EUR 40 mln in financing from BNP Paribas for the development of Panattoni Park Sosnowiec IV Newgate Investment (NGI) and Redkom Development are developing a large retail park in Bydgoszcz Deutsche Hypo – NORD/LB Real Estate Finance has provided a five-year green loan to Olivia Seven for the refinancing of the Olivia Prime A office building in Gdańsk-Oliwa communications and security company Motorola Solutions has signed a five-year lease renewal 18,000 sqm at the Green Office complex in Kraków’s Podgórze district Falling interest rates and easing monetary policy across the eurozone and CEEi are boosting investor confidence in the region’s commercial real estate market reveals Colliers in its ‘Beyond Real Estate | Economy’ report Panattoni is to build the Panattoni Park Mainz Süd in Erbes-Büdesheim bei Alzey Axi Immo has presented its latest report “Warsaw Office Market – Q1 2025 The market opened in 2025 on a steady footing with a notable increase in leasing activity and a modest decline in vacancy landlords continue to focus on upgrading existing assets and prioritizing quality over quantity Convenience store chain Żabka has officially opened a new logistics centre in Kąty Wrocławskie The first stage of the development will serve 1,500 stores in the Wrocław area Romanian Post has leased over 5,000 sqm of logistics space in CTPark Bucharest to serve as its temporary regional courier and logistics hub for Bucharest JLL has announced the sale and leaseback of two properties by a manufacturing company in a deal worth over PLN 1 bln Warehouse developer CTP is adding 2,000 sqm to its Clubco coworking development in Brno pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank has extended an investment facility to PineBridge Benson Elliot for the Diuna Office Park in Warsaw The hotel market in Bucharest continued its recovery in 2024 while the ADR has finally surpassed the milestone of EUR 100 Torus has announced its All.inn students’ residence concept that is soon to appear on ul BIG Poland has acquired the Multishop Suwałki retail park comprising 13,000 sqm of retail space The company now owns nine fully commercialized retail parks in Poland Slate Asset Management has sold three OBI retail stores to the Lindner Group from Germany Cushman & Wakefield has conducted a survey the findings of which are presented in the report From Shopping to Experiences: A Customer’s View on Shopping Centres and Retail Parks Cushman & Wakefield notes that despite evolving shopping trends both retail formats continue to hold strong appeal Multi Poland has taken on the management of the Galeria Przymorze shopping centre in Gdańsk The store offers lifestyle and sporting clothing and is to open this spring According to the "Quo Vadis E-commerce" report released by Cushman & Wakefield the online commerce continues to be a growth driver for the industrial & logistics real estate sector generating significant opportunities for developers and investors the investor behind the Projekt Góraszka shopping and entertainment complex in Wiązowna on Warsaw’s eastern outskirts has obtained a building permit for a mixed-use development Poznan-based company Scallier is opening another facility under the Funshop Park brand in Romania According to the latest report “At a Glance: Modern Retail Market in Poland Q4 2024” from BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland Poland’s retail market experienced record growth in 2024 Cushman &Wakefield has summarised the situation on the Polish retail market Over half a mln sqm of new retail space came on stream last year marking the highest new supply level in Poland since 2015 This robust development activity occurred amid rising demand from new retailers and improving consumer sentiment which boosted retail sales A new retail park with a total area of 24,000 sqm is set to be developed in Otwock under the name Świderek The investment will be led by Redkom Development Empik has opened a flagship store in the revitalised former Cepelia pavilion in the centre of Warsaw the modernist building has regained its former glory and once again impresses with its original appearance and modern interior Trei Real Estate Poland has opened its 40th Vendo Park The investment was created in Wrocław and has 5,000 sqm Vendo Park Wrocław is the first facility under this banner in the capital of Lower Silesia The retail park was built on a plot of approx An 800 sqm Biedronka grocery store is to open on the ground floor of the Moje Bielany residential complex which is being developed by CeMat A/S at ul Wólczyńska 121 in Warsaw’s Bielany district Spring has very much sprung and everywhere is bathed in the first warm sunshine of the year I have in the back of my mind the terrifying fo .. The Polish warehouse market has finally stabilised after the post-pandemic boom but new challenges and opportunities are on the horizon for the sector UBM Development has been given the go-ahead for the first wooden office building in Poland: Timber Park in Poleczki Business Park in Warsaw The office market in Warsaw is currently experiencing a period of stability in terms of supply and take-up Recent data on overall tenant activity indicates that clients in the cap .. Receive all the latest information from the world of real estate by e-mail the construction of the Aura residential building designed by Robert Konieczny's office KWK Promes According to a report by research company Spectis “Construction companies in Poland 2025-2030” the total revenues of the 300 leading construction gro .. The Globalworth Foundation has provided the authorities in Bucharest with office space for a Covid vaccination centre Panattoni BTS and Commercecon together support the establishment of the second Centaurus Foundation centre in Poland to help horses and other animals intends to focus on operations in other reg .. Six class A office buildings in the PRO Portfolio which is jointly owned by PineBridge Benson Elliot and Sharow Capital have been granted BREEAM In-U .. Who won this year's 14th edition of the Eurobuild Awards The jury and guests gathered at the Double Tree by Hilton hotel in Warsaw chose this year's .. Enjoy the last set of recordings with comments straight from this year's MIPIM we asked experts from our home country for their input will take place on 9-10 April 2025 at the Norblin Factory Event Hall in W .. we invite you to hot episode of the "Eye to eye" podcast The UN Nansen Refugee Award award will go to Poland for the first time According to the office of the UNHCR High Commissioner this year's regional wi .. Czech developer CTP has been granted a EUR 200 mln loan from the European Investment Bank for the roll-out of its large-scale solar panel installation .. while the ADR has finally surpassed the milestone .. Jarosław Szanajca plans to resign from the position of president of the management board of Dom Development at the end of the year and join the superv .. The Polish and Danish governments have entered preliminary discussions for the construction of a tunnel between Szczecin and Copenhagen underneath the .. Viterra has moved into its ​​new 1,500 sqm offices in Olivia Prime part of the Olivia Centre business complex in Gdańsk Panattoni has acquired two properties near Gothenburg The brownfield sites will be replaced by a modern 43,000 sqm facility Contemporary cities are grappling with the challenge of fostering dynamic growth while alleviating environmental pressures Colliers has taken over the management of the Studio B office building located in the Warsaw Wola district The property is owned by Stena Real Estate .. The University of Warsaw has signed a contract with the general contractor for a project at ul The new building will house the faculti .. Velis Real Estate Tech is officially changing its name to Singu adopting the title of its property management product the construction of the Panattoni Park Unterfranken has officially started The Alumni Association of the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti – ALUMNI UPG” was established in early 2017 all graduates of the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti can join the ALUMNI association which aims to facilitate communication between all members of the association All graduates of the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Programs of the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti regardless of the graduation year or the specialty graduated we invite you to join us by filling in the registration form We are many and we are spread all over the world all those who have graduated from UPG Ploiesti” – reads the official webpage upg-ploiesti.ro/alumni UPG is a higher education institution with recognized prestige across all continents and lives naturally through its students and graduates our university celebrates its 70th anniversary it has more than 44,000 Bachelor’s Degree graduates over 11,000 graduates of Master’s Programs and more than 800 Doctors in science Many of our graduates have held over the years and are currently in key positions in important energy fields and not only in their countries of origin or in any other country in the world we can efficiently perform in promoting the image of our university and yours as well we can directly intervene and improve education scientific research and pragmatic orientation to the real needs of the global economy through all its components,” the President of the Association believes By creating and maintaining a database of UPG graduates accessible to all users through the above-mentioned website the association aims to represent an interconnection platform The purpose of ALUMNI UPG is to help build and consolidate relationships between UPG graduates in all promotions and all forms of education promote collaboration between UPG and its graduates promote the image of UPG and its graduates; continuously improve the education system and adaptation as quickly as possible of the training of engineers economists and philologists to market requirements promote scientific research and support the activities of UPG graduates the association will carry out the following activities: organization of meetings symposiums and roundtables; setting up and supporting clubs cultural associations for students and graduates; organizing a database with the members of the association and data about them; creating and managing a website to facilitate contact between graduates access to the database and information of interest to UPG graduates; editing of magazines informative materials and a directory; collecting and administering funds from which annual scholarships are awarded to UPG students who achieve notable professional and scientific performance; providing moral and logistic support to members of the association; supporting the activities of the professional counselling department for UPG students and graduates; carrying out projects and programs for the modernization and improvement of UPG courses and infrastructure This equipment serves a fractionating unit of the refinery within which a separation is achieved based on difference in the boiling temperatures of the components boiling in a certain temperature range being specialized in weapon production and railway wagons repair the plant refocused its activity on Diesel engine repair and the repair of railroad containers for hazardous liquids oil drilling equipment and other equipment for geological prospecting focusing on the manufacturing of pressure vessels for the chemical and started the construction of new sections: Heavy Boiler Section the company started being known as UZINA DE UTILAJ CHIMIC SI PETROLIER – Ploiesti (Chemical and Petroleum Equipment Plant) UZUC purchased equipment for the execution of machinery for the pilot Heavy Water plant; it supplied to IRNE Pitesti (currently RENEL – I.C.N Pitesti) ancillary equipment for the nuclear research reactor UZUC was also the main supplier for the chemical and petroleum industry producing machinery such as Strippers and Scrubbers for Urea plants (under STAMICARBON license) heat exchangers for ammonia plants (under KELLOG license) high and low pressure equipment for ethylene and polyethylene plants UZUC was the first company in Romania to obtain the ISO 9002 Quality System Certification awarded by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance through the strict implementation of quality assurance requirements for the design activity UZUC was certified in accordance with International Standard ISO 9001:1994 Ploiesti entered the category of private companies being part of the SCR Group (Serviciile Comerciale Romane) who work in workshops and production departments technical and administrative departments etc UZUC production is mainly oriented towards the execution of pressure equipment for refineries petrochemical and energy industries: heat exchangers – different types of construction and execution classes defined by TEMA Standards; pressure vessels and columns; metallic structure for vertical pressure vessels executed at UZUC; autoclaves for the construction materials industry; skids for machinery executed at UZUC UZUC has accumulated an experience of over 14 years in the execution of heat exchanger batteries – Performance Heater type remaining the only European supplier qualified by GE for this type of equipment the entire activity of UZUC is covered by the Integrated Management System Manual (ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 14001:2004 & OHSAS 18001:2007) and ASME UZUC has applied during the design and manufacturing activities together with customer standards and technical specifications As a recognition of quality and timely delivery of equipment as ‘The best supplier for Central and Eastern Europe’ by GE Power Systems USA UZUC was included in the List of Approved Suppliers by world-recognized companies such as Total “Our past urged us to always be a company with a future all the time aware that a work is an activity carried out by someone for someone else’s benefit especially through the ability to provide in advance what is mostly needed: quality We hope to gain an increasingly important role in the energy sector which is rapidly growing in the global market,” company officials say The International Schools Chess Festival in the city of Ploiești ended in triumph for the Lviv Academic Gymnasium followed by Otilia Cazimir School from Iasi 6/7 Organized by ISCU and Romanian Chess Federation under the auspices of FIDE the event attracted 75 school teams from Mexico Ukraine and Romania (from 19 different counties) an open-air blitz event was held in the central park of Ploiesti The organizers also offered sightseeing tours for tours “Footprints of Dracula” and Bucharest tour to all the participants received a special award established by FIDE: a travelling grant and accommodation at the World Schools Team Championship The top-finishing teams were presented with special gifts and electronic devices from the partners Rompetrol and Aqua Carpatica delivered a video message on behalf of FIDE which was warmly appreciated by the audience There was also a separate ranking in the boys’ section won by “Saint Vasile” school from Ploiesti The team received the trophy “Alexander Kostyev” the founder of ISCU and the initiator of World and European School events The girls’ section saw the victory of the Academic Gymnasium lifting the “Elisabeta Polihroniade” trophy an honorary member of FIDE and vice-president of ISCU was a true chess legend in Romania and a great promoter of chess in schools Photos: promarkstudio.com/Official website: iscu.info/club-activities/ An investment of EUR 800 million started today in Ploiesti factory of British American Tobacco (BAT) the largest cigarette producer in Romania The investment will be made over the next five years and half of it will go into a completely new manufacturing hall dedicated to producing Neostiks for glo an additional 7000 square meters of production space will be created The unit in Ploiesti will be the third in the world (after South Korea and Russia) to produce Neosticks for glo and the first in Europe the factory is meant to cover all the Neosticks needed for the European market since 85 percent of the production will be exported The rest of the money will be invested in increasing the capacity of ”classic” cigarettes production by 20 percent. 60 percent of our Romanian-made products leave to 45 other countries and this number will grow to 70 percent following these investments,” says Ram Addanki you shouldn’t be concerned about credit checks if you need immediate cash to handle serious life issues ”We will have over 3,000 direct employees and more than 2,500 jobs that are indirectly supported by us”, says Addanki. BAT has a market share of 55 percent in Romania which covers around 20 percent of the market The main competitors are Japan Trading International with a market share around 25 percent and Philip Morris with 15 percent The biggest problem cigarette producers have in Romania is the illegal traffic and tax evasion but they hope that the traffic will be stopped after all customs point with Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Serbia will be sealed and all the vehicles crossing the border will be scanned with specialized machines, according to the Ministry of Finance Eurgen Teodorovici. ”We want to cover all the means of transportation and we should be ready by the end of the year,” says Teodorovici The tobacco industry is one the biggest contributor to the state budget due to the special taxes imposed on tobacco with an average of around 1 percent of GDP every year At the all-night vigil service held in honour of St the Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploieşti spoke about the current persecutions against Christians and stressed that Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world “Usually when we talk about persecution we refer to the persecution in the Roman Empire but today we witness the information circulating on all news channels about a lot of Christians who are beheaded their property and the churches in which they worship are blown up in many lands where the Church of Christ is being persecuted.” “According to statistics from organizations that observe religious freedom globally the most persecuted religion in the world is the Christian religion More than 90% of those who suffer from religious reasons are Christians We see here the fulfilment of Christ’s warning words that in the world we will face this envious attitude full of wickedness and vengeance,” said the patriarchal auxiliary bishop at the all-night vigil held on Sunday at the Patriarchate Bishop Varlaam of Ploiesti recalled the hopeful words of the Saviour Jesus Christ: “In this world Bishop Varlaam briefed the difficult times the Church went through and came out victorious “The multitude of Christians fought empty-handed with the strongest empire Then for almost a century they fought in Soviet Russia and for half a century in communist countries with the most odious anti-Christian ideology and each time the Church came out strong according to the words of a second-century Western theologian: “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.” who “voluntarily renounced the high dignities of this world being a young man of about 30-35 years when he died paying with his blood his perfect faith in the Saviour Jesus Christ who gave His own blood for those who would believe in Him.” Bishop Varlaam urged everyone to follow the example of St Demetrios in faith and to be witnesses of Christ in every moment of our lives “Remembering the bright life and the heroic end of St let us also encourage ourselves in these times of trial in which even in Christian countries Churches are set on fire crosses are desecrated and Christians limited to manifest their faith in many ways.” “Let us also encourage ourselves to be confessors of the faith with the conviction that God who promised the martyrs the crown of life will also offer it to us on the condition that we make this confession to the end.” Vega Refinery Ploiesti is the only Romanian producer of bitumens and polymer-modified bitumen is distinguished by high wear resistance and increased elasticity which helps a 50% longer life compared to other bitumens Vega Ploiesti supplies approximately 17% of the required bitumen at national level celebrates 115 years of activity in the petroleum products processing industry With a rich history and full of events that marked its development the unit in Ploiesti today represents an important landmark in the Romanian energy sector which has always had the ability to adapt to market requirements and to distinguish itself from other refineries in the country and Rompetrol Rafinare makes great efforts to develop this production unit so important for many fields of activity in the country the bitumen produced at Vega is a strong business card and we are convinced that we will be able to increase the yields for this very valuable product,” said Felix Crudu Tesloveanu the Prahova refinery managed to record operational records for the production of bitumen (120,000 tons) respectively the production of hexane (92,000) A high level of production was maintained in the first 9 months of 2020 with a total of 265,000 tons of processed raw materials and semi-finished products Growing production is supported by the polymer-modified bitumens plant after the majority stake was taken over by KMG International with an investment effort of over 7 million dollars KMG International intends to make additional investments in the bitumen production sector given the growing demand for the absolutely necessary product in the development of road infrastructure at national level Currently, the refinery no longer processes crude oil, but only medium distillate products, from Petromidia Navodari. Thus, even though it is the smallest profile unit in the country, with an annual production capacity of approximately 400,000 tons, Vega Ploiesti exclusively develops products with high added value The Vega Ploiesti refinery also makes considerable efforts in terms of environmental protection and limiting the impact of industrial activity upgrades worth over 8 million dollars took place (new vapor recovery system new incinerator for safe combustion of gases resulting from technological processes replacement of the furnace in the Vacuum Distillation plant) with direct effect in decreasing the level of pollutants and the pressure on the environment At the same time, Rompetrol Rafinare carries out one of the largest ecological operations in the recent history of Romania: remedying the lagoons resulting from the refining activity of the last century the area will be renaturalized and monitored for 30 years and Lazar Edeleanu was one of the first general managers of the refinery a Romanian chemist who left his mark on the refining industry by developing a process that bears his name and which consists in refining products with liquid sulphur dioxide as a selective solvent which ensures the selective extraction of aromatic hydrocarbons a process used for the first time in the world in the Vega refinery affecting important facilities and over 80% of the 50 tanks Vega ends up being considered the second-best refinery out of a total of 46 existing in the country The history of the longest-lived refinery in Romania also included an episode that slowed the development of the unit: the bombings of the Second World War which affected approximately 90% of the refinery considered at that time a strategic objective Following a major modernization carried out between 1955 and 1958 pharmaceutical Vaseline or special bitumens In 1999, the production unit in Ploiesti was privatized and bought by Rompetrol a company that saved from extinction the refinery that was in liquidation procedure for about 8 months Development is constantly continuing after the takeover of the majority stake by the KMG International Group which has increasingly focused on high value-added products the facilities in Vega Ploiesti were modernized to increase production capacity: the Hexan plant in 2011 the Vacuum Distillation plant in 2013 or the New Vapor Recovery plant in 2019 Vega works in perfect synergy with the Petromidia – Navodari refinery the largest in Romania and one of the most modern in the Black Sea region Petromidia provides the entire refinery in Ploiesti with the raw materials/semi-finished products necessary to obtain special products with a high added value Romania is the first EU market where British American Tobacco (BAT) launched its next generation product called Glo in December and the company might consider its plant in Ploiesti for the production of this new range BAT has already moved part of the production from other markets and invested EUR 60 million in 2017 Romania was also the first country where BAT launched its hybrid product iFUSE and in Ploiesti the company makes the capsules for this device Asli Ertonguc, SCE Area marketing director BAT, said the company created 400 new jobs in sales and customer care to support the launch of its tobacco heating product. Additional jobs could be created depending on the sales of Glo, she told BR. BAT has directly created close to 2,500 jobs in Romania. the production of Glo is located in South Korea and Russia (Saint Petersburg) which holds a controlling 55 percent of Romania’s tobacco market has 2,000 sale points for Glo and a dedicated store in Baneasa – the fifth of this kind across the globe The product is also marketed through an online store The company said it would expand its distribution network in seven Romanian cities this year In the last five years, the company has invested roughly GBP 2.5 billion for the development and testing of Glo, according to Christopher Proctor, chief scientific officer BAT. He cited tests which show that Glo’s vapour contains around 90-95% less toxicants compared with conventional cigarettes. the company points out that “these qualities do not necessarily mean this product produces less adverse health effects than other tobacco products.” BAT says that the comparison between the smoke from combusted tobacco and the vapour from heated tobacco in Glo takes into account nine types of harmful components which the World Health Organisation recommends to reduce Japanese company Calsonic Kansei expands the business in Romania by investing EUR 30 million in a factory of electronic parts in Ploiesti The final decision was taken as a result of discussions of minister of business environment Ilan Laufer with the representatives of Calsonic Kansei with the occasion of the visit from September in Japan and was communicated via an official letter by the operations director for Romania “I salute the decision of the Japanese company, that proves the trust in Romania and that the decisions and strategies for the expansion of investments in Romania have results and I hope that this project will be successful and will bring added value both locally and at national level,” said Laufer. This is a first concrete result of the meeting in Asia during September 16-22 signed an agreement memorandum regarding the stimulation and support of bilateral investments and promotion of economic expansion of Romanian and Japanese companies through Mizuho Bank The builder has 20 months to build the Ploiesti-Mizil lot with a length of 21 kilometers which includes 14 bridges Work begins today in Romania for the construction of the first lot of the A 7 Ploiesti-Buzau motorway with the handover of the site to the Italian-Romanian consortium has 20 months to build the Ploiesti-Mizil lot with a length of 21 kilometers which includes 14 bridges According to reports from the “Economedia” information portal the ceremony for the start of the works takes place today in the presence of the Minister of Transport Sorin Grindeanu (the first presence at the opening of a large construction site) The Ploiesti-Pascani motorway is the most important motorway project in Europe funded under the Romanian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Pnrr) The Ploiesti (Dumbrava) -Mizil lot is like this the second contract that enters the construction site of the 13 of the entire Ploiesti-Pascani motorway (314 kilometers) the intermediate section Mizil - Pietroasele (28 kilometers) Lot 3 Pietroasele-Buzau (14 kilometers) is undergoing a revaluation of offers following a ruling by the Bucharest Court of Appeal The team of the Petroleum-Gas University (PGU) of Ploiesti won 2nd place at the European regional stage of the PetroBowl competition in Zagreb (Croatia) and also managed to qualify for the international stage to be held in San Antonio The five students in the PGU team belong to the Oil and Gas Engineering Faculty: Matea Stefan – 1st year Oil Extraction Master’s Programme; Chibelean Mara Cezara – 4th year; Malatinszky Mark – 4th year; Tase Andrada – 1st year; Telea Bogdan – 3rd year The team of the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti has become the 2021 European champion in the Petrobowl competition in which 15 of the most renowned universities from Scotland Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is the largest organization of students and other professionals in the upstream segment of the oil and gas industry SPE has over 140 thousand members in more than 140 countries disseminate and share knowledge about hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation and related technologies for the benefit of the community The PetroBowl® competition was founded in 2002 and administered by the SPE Gulf Coast Section taking place once a year during the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) a two-stage pilot program was introduced in 2013 to transition the contest into a truly global event This included two regional qualifiers taking place in Africa and Asia in 2014 and an expansion to six regional qualifiers in 2015 Following the successful completion of the pilot program PetroBowl is now recognized as an SPE International global program The PetroBowl® contest is SPE’s largest student competition SPE Chapters from around the world participate in this quick-fire quiz covering a wide range of topics relevant to the E&P industry the best students display their expertise and knowledge to a global audience US Federal-Mogul Motorparts has opened a new production plant for automotive wiper components and assemblies which is adjacent to the firm’s manufacturing unit for brakes in the same city “The opening of the Ploiesti wipers plant is an important next step in our strategy to optimize our company’s operations in Europe, leading to increased competitiveness in the international automotive market,” said Daniel Ninivaggi, CEO of Federal-Mogul Motorparts and Co-CEO, Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation. we are pleased to support job growth in southeastern Romania Our new wipers plant here has created more than 300 new jobs We anticipate that the Romanian government’s emphasis on strengthening apprenticeship schools and developing new university level business programs will provide a steady stream of skilled employees to support future growth in this region.” Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: FDML) is a leading global supplier of products and services to the world’s manufacturers and servicers of vehicles and equipment in the automotive The company’s products and services enable improved fuel economy reduced emissions and enhanced vehicle safety Ovidiu Posirca Coca-Cola, the biggest soft drinks company worldwide, inaugurated on Wednesday a new bottling line at its plant in Ploiesti, in a strategic move designed to turn Romania into an export hub for the company. The Cappy Pulpy line required an investment of EUR 22 million over one year and became operational this July The company has over 1,800 employees locally “When a global company such as Coca-Cola, one of the strongest brands in the worldwide industry trusts Romania, this is the best message a country can receive, more important than any ratings,” said PM Victor Ponta, during the same event. is the company’s biggest in South Eastern Europe The company has invested EUR 45 million in Ploiesti in 2009 to open an automated warehouse and a co-generation plant. The American company’s first targeted turnover in Romania is of USD 30 million Lufkin Industries has announced today that construction has been started at the 33 hectare facility in Ploiesti part of which EUR 28 million consisted in state aid from the local Romanian government This new facility will provide oil field manufacturing hubs to service the Eastern hemisphere to which 80 percent of production will be directed with 20 percent focusing on the Romanian market Regarding turnover and investment recovery Lufkin Industries expects to reach a USD 30 million turnover in its first year of production and then to gradually double reaching an estimate of USD 70 million in the following two years Future investment is also expected by the company in Romania especially due to the large surface that the plant in Aricesti benefits of Lufkin Industries’ plant in Romania will become functional in the fourth quarter of 2010 and will be providing jobs for over 320 employees for whom the recruitment has already begun CEO and president of Lufkin Romania has told Business Review Among the local oil companies that Lufkin has contracts with is Petrom   With an investment of over EUR 11.5 million Alka Group has started the construction of new production capacity for salted biscuits and snacks Completion of the project is scheduled for the first quarter of 2019 and the factory will offer in the first phase over 80 new jobs in Ploiesti ”The new factory in Ploiesti is an ambitious project that’s why we thank once again those who were with us in our over 20 years of presence in Romania We have very large plans for the coming years and the support of our partners and customers is the most important We are delighted to have reached this stage and finally see how another factory is being built from scratch a factory where it will be produced at the highest standards of industry 10,000 sqm factory which occupies a total area of ​​over 10,000 sqm is being built in the Ploiesti Industrial Park The factory will consist of a production hall Of the total investment of EUR 11.5 million EUR 2,394 million is non-reimbursable public aid under the National Rural Development Program (PNDR) and the rest comes from private co-financing together with Unicredit Bank In 2017, the Alka Group registered a turnover of RON 173 million and now has more than 600 employees. The Alka Group was established in 1994 as a greenfield investment and it was then the first company in Romania to produce and dispense ground coffee packets In 2018, following an extensive rebranding process, the company’s portfolio was rethought, under the Alka brand, developing a wide range of products, both sweet and salty. Honeywell Transportation Systems, the US-based industrial group, inaugurated on Tuesday its plant in Ploiesti, Prahova County, which has already produced more than two million brake pads since opening in late 2012, reports Agerpres newswire. president of the frictions materials division at Honeywell said the company aims to invest EUR 57 million in the plant “Romania plans to maintain a predictable and stable economical and fiscal framework aim to encourage investments mainly in research and innovation,” said prime minister Ponta during the inauguration event Honeywell plans to ramp up its production of brake pads to more than 10 million yearly in its Ploiesti plant. Up to now the company exported most of its output to Europe, China and Mexico. “Honeywell has enjoyed success in Romania for more than 15 years The addition of this Friction facility to our existing turbocharger plant in Bucharest – which is our largest turbo plant in the world – is feeding the growth strategies of Honeywell Transportation Systems within the region and around the world,” said Terrence Hahn president and CEO of Honeywell Transportation Systems The US company employs more than 2,200 people in Romania in the Transportation Systems turbo plant and in the Automation and Control Solutions strategic business group. The group has enhanced research and development activities in Romania, boosting its local engineering arm. Honeywell currently has 220 employees in Ploiesti planning to increase the headcount to 300 in the next two years Already a member? Log in here is building a new paper packaging facility in the city of Ploiesti Romania to expand its packaging production capabilities in Europe and enter new market segments to expand its packaging production capabilities in Europe and enter new market segments the new production facility is a part of the company’s approximately €10m ($11.8m) investment in Romania The new facility is scheduled to be operational in March 2022 following the necessary tests and employee training It will increase the company’s production capacity by up to 65% to approximately 160 million paper sacks a year and is expected to meet the highest quality and hygiene requirements Segezha’s new paper packaging facility will be located on Poligonului street in the city of Ploiești The facility will occupy 2,880m² and will expand the company’s product portfolio including high-end segments such as industrial packaging for food ingredients The project will include the addition of an ultra-modern AD 8320 paper sack manufacturing line and a warehouse for finished products storage it will involve the relocation and overhaul of the production equipment at another packaging facility of Segezha The upgrade will improve the efficiency and production output The AD 8320 paper sack line being installed in the facility is a flexible multi-purpose valve bottomer that can produce small and medium-sized bags It is the world’s first bottomer to produce bags with filling volumes up to 2l The bottomer ensures flexibility in sack and valve designs and allows the production of up to 330 sacks per minute It is suitable for short-run production with constant changes in sizes Segezha selected Windmoller & Holscher, a machinery-maker based in Germany, to supply the AD 8320 paper sack line for its new paper packaging facility in Ploiești Windmoller & Holscher is expected to deliver the new production line by the end of 2021 Segezha is one of Russia’s biggest timber holding companies offering logging and value-added wood conversion services The company has ten converting plants across Europe The converting facilities are located in geographically strategic locations facilitating strategical routing of the logistics to the markets in Europe The combined capacity of the company’s packaging assets located in Germany and Turkey is 720 million paper sacks a year while its packaging plants in Russia alone produce more than 668 million paper sacks a year the company reported a 2.3% production growth with the production of 1.3 billion pieces of industrial and consumer packaging Segezha holds 63% and 11.4% share in the paper sacks markets across Russia and Europe It supplies products to some of the leading manufacturers across industries such as cement Segezha offers customised solutions to its clients through optimised packaging design and low-cost packaging products The company helps in achieving the clients’ sustainability goals by replacing plastic packaging with biodegradable solutions Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network acquired this summer the Ploiesti-based Premium Medical Clinic from businessman Virgiliu Grigorescu Fresenius Nephrocare Romania has obtained a turnover RON 252.8 million (EUR 56.8 million) in 2015 and a profit of RON 16.6 million ( EUR 3.75 million) It opened the first dialysis centers from Romania in 2005 and has reached a network of 35 units at national level. The company has acquired several clinics during time the National Petroleum Museum in Ploiesti celebrates in 2017 the 60th anniversary Its establishment in Ploiesti signifies the recognition of the city’s status in the oil industry in our country and also the role played by Prahova County as a symbol of the oil industry on September 14 a ceremony was held at the Palace of Culture in Ploiesti which included the screening of the film “History of the Petroleum Industry in Romania” the launching of the album “Petrolul Romanesc” (Romanian Oil) the opening of the exhibition “160th anniversary of the Romanian Petroleum Industry” the awarding of homage diplomas and the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to celebrating 50 years of higher education in the field which took place within the programme “Prahova – World Petroleum Capital” brought together representatives of the Prahova County Council of the Romanian Academy and of the Organizing Committee of the “Prahova 2017 – World Petroleum Capital” project The idea of setting up a Petroleum Museum in Ploiesti appeared in 1957 on the occasion of celebrating the centenary of the oil industry when most of the museums in Ploiesti were established Alexandru Badulescu formed an initiative group that drafted a protocol at the IPIP (Design Institute for Petroleum Installations) headquarters in Diligentei St. requesting the leadership of the region to set up a museum dedicated to the ‘black gold’ by the Decision of the Council of Ministers no the establishment of the Republican Petroleum Museum was approved within the Ministry of Industry Petroleum and Chemistry – Crude Oil Department Initially it was assigned a location in the building of the former Refinery 1 (formerly ‘Astra’ refinery) night preventorium photographs and three-dimensional pieces began Based on proposals from the initiative group of the Campina Research Institute for Drilling-Extraction and of the Ploiesti Drilling-Extraction Trust and the Bucharest Geological Exploration Trust the Petroleum and Chemistry Industry Documentation Centre developed a thematic ante-project for the Petroleum Museum Being directly involved in the Ministry of Petroleum and Chemistry the entire Romanian oil world was mobilized to achieve this goal from DERO and from Moreni Mechanical Plant began to arrive was moved to another location also belonging to Refinery 1 the courtyard being transformed into an open-air exhibition The total area of the building and of the land was at the time of 2,150 square meters the museum was conceived as a republican institution to illustrate the history of exploitation and the results of oil recovery the three-dimensional pieces and the graphic techniques merge successfully the museum’s collection consisted of 700 pieces of patrimony The equipment collection contains a series of pieces that are currently included in Romania’s National Thesaurus because the consulted national and international specialists assessed that they have a great historical and documentary value Among the most important pieces of the museum’s patrimony are: a “hecna” (a type of horse-driven auger conveyor); mining lamps and tools of the 19th century; wooden and metallic drilling equipment from the 19th century; panels exemplifying the selective dissolving system using sulphur dioxide invented by Lazar Edeleanu and used worldwide; the history of manufacturing paraffin photographs belonging to notable individuals in the field such as: Gregoriu Stefanescu The objects exhibited include the miniature reproduction of the world’s first refinery (“the gas factory”) constructed by the Mehedinteanu brothers in 1857 a model of the first mechanical derrick used in Romania gas lamps used in Bucharest – the first city to have public gas lighting in 1859 The museum also exhibits documents regarding the history of petroleum in our country and aspects relating to the geology of deposits and petrochemistry lexicons and specialty publications are reunited in the document collection The decorative art collection is comprised of porcelain statuettes ceramics depicting scenes related to the use of petrol in antiquity whereas the visual arts collection presents graphics busts cast in bronze and plaster representing notable individuals in the petroleum industry the institution received the status of National Petroleum Museum in 1994 a unit under the structure of the Autonomous Petroleum Administration PETROM R.A 1997 the Administration was turned into PETROM R.A the museum has become part of the PETROM Ploiesti branch ceasing its activity as branch of PETROM Bucharest the museum has organized special events – symposiums petroleum-themed contests for pupils and students documentary visits to the country’s most important oil sites An important place also had the thematic actions made during the Night of the Museums events which enjoyed the participation of specialists and of the general public OMV PETROM awarded the museum a jubilee medal whereas the “International Conference 150 Years of Oil in Romania – Tradition of Evolution” awarded it the Oilman’s Trophy for “preserving the history of oil alive.” The museum has been affiliated to the European Network of oil museums 2017 the Petroleum Museum was taken over from OMV PETROM by the Prahova County Council and has been turned into a section of the Prahova County Museum of Natural Sciences the Petroleum Museum’s path continues in this new leadership following a history as sinuous as the industry it illustrates keeping its unquestionable importance and unique character over time a member company of the KMG International Group (Rompetrol) recently completed a 4.2 million USD investment in the modernization of the Vacuum Distillation Plant (DV) within the Vega Ploiești refinery The project will help to improve operational processes and will also have a positive impact in terms of increasing the protection of the environment The significant stages of the project consisted in the design transport and installation of the new technological furnace which has the role of heating the raw material and fractionating it under low pressure conditions The technological furnace recently introduced in the operational flow was produced by an Italian company specialized in the construction of equipment for refineries has a normal working flow of 30 tons of fuel oil per hour and can achieve an energy efficiency of 95% At the same time, with the implementation of the project in the Vega refinery, the operation of the DV Unit will be supported at increasing operational parameters, but with the decrease of CO2 emissions, as well as the reduction of maintenance costs. Rompetrol Rafinare planned a production of approximately 140 thousand tons of bitumen with about 20 thousand tons above the level reached in 2019 the year in which the largest amount of bitumen was obtained Vega Ploiești Refinery is the only profile unit in the country capable of producing bitumen, hexane and ecological solvents, and the raw material and semi-finished products used come exclusively from Petromidia Năvodari, the largest refinery in the country and one of the most important in the Black Sea region. The main shareholders of Rompetrol Rafinare SA are KMG International (54.63% – directly and indirectly) and the Romanian State through the Ministry of Energy (44.7%) has signed a sales contract with Lufkin Industries for a 33 ha plot in Ploiesti West Park The Texas-based oil company plans to build a manufacturing facility which will employ 300 persons by 2012 at an estimated total cost of USD 126 million “The new operation in Romania is a critical step in our strategy to expand our geographic reach to better serve our global customers This will enhance our competitive position in the growing markets of the Eastern Hemisphere Using Lufkin’s proven regional manufacturing strategy the Romanian operation will serve as a strategic hub to serve the European market as well as acting as the focus for exports to Russia He added that Romania offers the company an advantageous location as it is becoming a regional energy hub Glick mentioned advantages such as the political stability provided by EU membership the strategic benefit of significant local oil resources access to local sources of raw material and castings a strategic location for shipping routes and a technically-capable and highly-educated local workforce Allianso Business Park SRL has already delivered a 30,000 sqm warehouse to Unilever in April, 2010. A new 20,000 sqm logistics building will be available by the end of September this year, according to company representatives. Allianso also plans to build a SME building complex on the Ploiesti West Park site. providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used.