Two major car brands have been forced to temporarily suspend operations in Europe over concerns around energy costs and availability.
Dacia and Ford have confirmed plans to halt production for almost three weeks at their factories in Romania, Reuters reported.
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Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced this morning that Dacia and Ford would pause manufacturing from today (August 3) until August 19.
He said this was being done voluntarily to reduce power consumption as the Eastern European nation faces energy issues.
It is understood that during this time, the automakers and other major energy consumers, will scale back production.
Reuters reported that the decision from Dacia and Ford to halt production had cut MW worth of the country’s power consumption.
Mr Bolojan, who has been Prime Minister of Romania since June 2025, said other companies would also reduce their energy usage voluntarily.
Romania has faced electricity concerns in recent weeks following prolonged drought conditions and a sharp drop in the outflow of the River Danube.
Speaking at the end of July, the Prime Minister said this had affected energy production, especially the functioning of the Cernavoda Nuclear Plant.
He unveiled additional funding from the Budget Reserve Fund to maintain the water level required for the operation of Group 2 of the facility.
Mr Bolojan continued, saying: “I call on public authorities, companies and citizens to contribute through responsible consumption to maintaining the balance of the energy system. Every megawatt saved counts during this period.
“We take the measures that are required now to get over the next weeks and, at the same time, we continue the investments that must prevent such situations in the future.”
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The Romanian naval forces took steps this morning to blow up rocks on the Danube in an attempt to redirect water to the nuclear plant.
It has also declared a nationwide state of emergency throughout August due to the electricity crisis.
Dacia’s car production facility in Mioveni, Romania, produces a car every 55 seconds, with more than 1,350 vehicles rolling off the production line every day.
Last April, it announced that it had produced its eight millionth car, namely a Dacia Bigster in Indigo Blue.
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