Romania and the transition to green energy
The development of the energy of the future, which is safe, accessible and above all non-polluting is the main topic discussed in Bucharest these days.
Daniela Budu, 24.07.2024, 14:00
“Only with energy security, accessible energy for the economy and population and economic competitiveness can the decisive step be taken towards the next vital objective – obtaining clean, green energy”. The statement was made by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on the occasion of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC) Business Forum held in Bucharest, which was attended by representatives of the public and private sector from all over Europe and from the United States. “Our energy systems must be able to supply energy at any time and in conditions of internal or external stress to all consumers, anywhere” , the Romanian prime minister said. According to him, the diversification of energy sources and means of production is needed, and, in the context of the war in the neighboring Ukraine and the upcoming winter, immediate action is needed to support the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, all countries in the region with vulnerabilities. That is why, says the prime minister, Romania is improving its interconnection capacities with all countries in its vicinity, with Bulgaria and Greece, but also with Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The prime minister has also said that Bucharest invests in new capacities to obtain energy from renewable sources and aims to double its nuclear capacity. The goal, says Marcel Ciolacu, is to modernize the energy sector, to become more resistant to regional or global shocks.
The Prime Minister also referred to the Neptun Deep gas exploration project in the Black Sea, which will double Romania’s gas production capacity and turn the country into the largest producer in the EU starting in 2027. He highlighted the support given to Romania by the US in strategic energy projects in the nuclear field, mentioning the construction of reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavodă power plant, in the southeast. Moreover, during the Forum in Bucharest, a partnership was also signed between Nuclearelectrica and two American companies, a project through which a former coal-fueled power plant is transformed into a modern nuclear-electric power plant that will produce zero carbon dioxide emissions.
“Romania is very committed to making the green transition in a pragmatic and feasible way, an example for the region and the world, and this means the use of gas in the short and medium term, but also of nuclear energy”, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said in turn. The mines and coal-fired power plants in Romania will continue to operate, the minister says, for at least a year and a half, because the country still needs conventional power plants, which have proven their importance especially in the context of the recent heat wave.
The discussions in Bucharest these days focus on the future of energy throughout the world, but also on the development of the energy of the future, which should be safe, accessible and above all non-polluting, on the implementation of new sources of energy production, either thermal or electric and also on the cooperation between the European states and the US. (EE)
