Economy of the Town

Short History of Mining
The mines dominate the city's industrial activity. The M.E. Petrila, M.E. Lonea, Coal Preparation Petrila are still active in this field. Lumber exploitation and processing as well as constructions are two profitable business opportunities.

The Petrila Preparation
The Petrila Preparation was founded in 1931 and functioned under the name of The Petrila Coal Preparation, inside S.A.R. Petrosani, Mine Department Petrosani.
The preparation's build has started in 1930 and achieved the projected capacity in 1932. The new preparation, in its initial form, with a capacity of 300 t/h had a system of pre-classification for a dry separing of the coal.

The Petrila Mining Enterprise
Existing documents in the Mining Capital Concession Chart for Transylvania held at the State Archives - Deva confirm that from december 1858, on Petrila's terithory were granted some concessions of mining areas. Regarding the Austrian mining laws, obliging those who had obtained concessions for mining lands to exploit them after no longer than a year, it results that in Petrila coal has been exploited at least since 1859, that is for 139 years.

Carol Maderspach and the Hoffman brothers unified with Mines Society "Transilvania de Vest", whose mines were bought by The Anonymous Mines and Furnaces Society from Brasov, which became the 4th big cast iron producer of the Austrich-Hungarian Kingdom.

In the year 1867 are started the digging works for the shaft pits Deak - Petrila, and Petrosani-Est (Praga). In 1868 was mentioned for the first time an industrial production of 853 tones of coal.
In anul 1897 statul arendeaza minele Societatii Anonime de Mine si Furnale din Brasov impreuna cu toate instalatiile de exploatare. In 1894 The Anonymous Mines Society from Salgotarjan bought all the mines from Jiu Valley, among others Petrila also, for 3.5 billions guldens.

The mine's development program included a new shaft pit, so, in 1938 started the digging for the central shaft pit, which will be over in 1945, and the coal production in 1943 is 746.300 tones.
Starting from 1948, through the Law 119/1948 and the Decret 1099/11.06.1948 the State becomes the mines owner.

From 1948, the coal production begins to rise, achieving in 1984, 1.255.240 tones, but the transaction to the market economy and the reorganization in the mining industry, took to the production's diminution. Thus, in 1998 the coal production was of 504.000 tones. The limits for the exploitation perimeter have been approved by MMPG-DGG in 1977 and have been modified in 1986. The Petrila Mine area's surface - 462,9 ha.

The Lonea Mining Enterprise

In the year 1870 it is mentioned the digging and the sustaining of the Rascoala gallery; it is also propsed to start daily exploitation in the Jiet Valley area and nearby valleys. In 1872 it is reminded thar in the mining fields Jiet and Rascoala opening galleries were being digged, which had already advanced 77 respectively 60 (stanjeni), allowing the opening of the less productive layers near the surface. An opening gallery digged from the Jiet mining field towards Lonea (towards East) had reached the surface after 93 (stanjeni).

Mines

The Petrila Mining Enterprise - 2202 employees
Director: Voicescu Benor (engineer)
Mine Street no. 2, Petrila,
Phone: 0254/541 352

The Lonea Mining Enterprise - 1927 employees
Director: Dioane Daniel (engineer)
Str. Voievodului nr.1, Petrila,
Phone: 0254/550 570

The Petrila Preparation - 639 employees
Director: Gata Petre (engineer)
Str. Minei nr. 2, Petrila,
Phone: 0254/550 550

Venture types
- Private business: 240 companies
- State business: M.E. Lonea, M.E. Petrila, Petrila Preparation, Bibliofor S.A. (Bookstore), S.C.Termoprest S.A. Petrila

Investments in:
Wood and aluminum parts for furniture - Simaus Rom (28 employees)
Furniture production - S.C. Eneida Petrosani
Pastries - 7 bakeries
Synthetic resin parts armed with glass fiber - S.C. Donplast
Cultural activities and television - S.C. Ambavi Telecom
Commerce - S.C. Arici Pogonici

Repairs of buildings, roads and infrastructure were possible due to World Bank funding.
The Petrila City Hall is about to sign a contract with a Dutch investor for the renovation of Lunca Florii Chalet.
The Petrila City hall also installed ecologic boilers to C.T.1

Types of investors
All the investors mentioned above are private ones. S.C. Termoprest, which is a state company also invests in the Jiu Valley economy.

Development tendencies
The main direction for development remains economic development, without it the town no being able to develop, only through natural benefit.
Special attention needs to be given to the increase of jobs in the services area (less commerce, more services), as well as in public institutions (culture, education, sport, tourism, leisure).
Another direction for development is represented by the living area. For accomplishing places to live the reconsideration of the existing built fund for collective living places is needed as well as the encouraging of building uni-familial homes. The area of public institutions will need to be developed through the reservation of lands mainly in the central area. The planted space, leisure and cemetery areas also need territorial development. The sewerage allotted area will especially need new surfaces as well as the garbage ramp etc.

Fields of interest

Production:
- SIMAUS ROM - wood and aluminum furniture (28 employees)
- S.C. ENEIDA Petrosani - furniture
- panificatie (exista 7 brutarii, 3 dintre ele deschise in anii 2000 - 2001).
- DONPLAST - synthetic resin parts armed with glass fiber

Services: S.C. Ambavi Telecom
Commerce: S.C. Arici Pogonici, Alimprod Confel

Average number of employees
The average staff for a private business is two. Some private business have more than two people. Some of the best examples would be:
- S.C. Ambavi Telecom -22 workers
- S.C. Alimprod Confel - 21 workers
- S.C. Ilion - Scorpion S.R.L. - 16 workers
- Simaus Rom - 28 workers
- Donplast 12 workers

The number of employees of the state business is:
- M.E. Lonea - 1927
- M.E. Petrila - 2202
- Petrila Preparation - 639
- Education - 335 (CEB1- 148, CEB2- 187)
- Taxes office - 112
- Petrila City Hall - 50
- Health (Hospitals and clinics) - 116
- Police - 30
- S.C. Termoprest S.A. - 200

The mines dominate the city's industrial activity. The M.E. Petrila, M.E. Lonea, Coal Preparation Petrila are still active in this field. Lumber exploitation and processing as well as constructions are two profitable business opportunities.

Statistics
Comercial societies of which: 208
- Limited liability company 131
- Independent activities 6
- Action Societies 11
- Family Associations 34
- Units of the cooperation SOCOM UNIREA 26

Source: DEEP