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Energy Ministry will update energy strategy project until October
The Ministry of Energy set up a work group to update Romania’s Energy Strategy Project for 2017-2030, by mid October. The document will continue a list of priority investments in the sector, as well as for reactors 3 and 4 from Cernavoda, Tarnita hydro power plant and a new group at Otlenia Energy Complex, said Andrei Marioreanu, secretary of state in the Energy Ministry.
“Romania has now an energy strategy approved in 2007, which included the 2007-2020 period. In 2016, the Energy Ministry, headed then by a technocrat, elaborated a strategy project, considering the new market and technology development conditions, as well as engagements at EU level. This project was positively approved by the Technical-Economic Council of the Energy Ministry and was forwarded to the Environment Ministry for approval”, Maioreanu said.
According to him, the ministry intends to update the project according to the governing programme. At the end of July minister Toma Petcu issued an order to set up a work group in that respect.
The official also showed that the target is updating the strategy by mid October. Then the project will be debated and approved by parliamentary procedure, after the amendment of the energy law, which in the present form, establishes that energy strategy is adopted by government decision. Updating the strategy was necessary, as the existing project took into account objectives expressed at EU level and less those of the Romanian energy system.
He said that Romania can fulfil conditions assumed toward EU by its own energy mix.
“The new strategy project will be based on these objectives: energy security, improving energy efficiency, investments, environment protection. We must prioritise what we propose as investments and there will be a list of very important investment objectives. For instance, reactors 3 and 4 from Cernavoda, Tarnita hydro power plant and the new 600 MW group from Rovinari, will certainly be found in the energy strategy and the clear financing source will be identified,” Maioreanu continued.
At the same time, the strategy will take into account investment programs of each company.
“Romania is well known as supplier of energy security in the region. We do nothing else than consolidate that position. The government wants to apply this strategy as soon as possible,” Maioreanu declared.
Romania’s energy strategy launched for consultation at the end of 2016, had five fundamental objectives: Energy security, competitive energy markets, the base of a competitive economy, clean energy and sustainable energy sector, modernizing the energy governing system and vulnerable consumer protection and reducing energy poverty.
According to data from Romania’s Energy Strategy 2016-2030, presented last year by Radu Dudau, the document coordinator, natural gas could become the main fuel in 2030 for the domestic energy production, with a share of 45%, followed by nuclear energy.
Investments needed in the Romanian energy sector amounted to 1.5-2 billion euros per year, according to the same preliminary data.