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Adrian Borotea (CEZ): Romania needs to change its electricity resource pool
Romania needs to change its electricity resource pool or otherwise it runs the risk of seeing itself compelled right in the near future to import electricity amid the energy policy promoted by the European Union (EU), CEZ Romania director Adrian Borotea told a seminar on renewable energy.
Borotea cautioned that imports are usually made for prices that are far above those charged in the country.
'We all seek the good of Romanian green energy, in full awareness of the European directives Romania has joined following the 2007 negotiation. This is important not only politically, but also in economic and technical terms and also serves the well-being of our descendants whom we owe a cleaner environment. As far as the age of the existing classical power plants is concerned - and I mean here thermal power stations in the first place, but hydropower plants too - we must be able to change Romania's electricity resource pool, otherwise there is the risk that in the very near future we are compelled to import electricity. By tradition, Romania is an electricity exporting country and imports are usually for higher or even far higher prices than those charged for domestic supplies. In terms of energy security we should strive for investments,' said the CEZ Romania representative.
According to him, apart from legislative stability and predictability - which are crucial requirements anyway - there is a need to also rise electricity fees in Romania.
'Another important point is that electricity fees for consumers grow, regrettably or fortunately, as you want to see it - depending on whether one is an investors or a consumer - because just as we have seen in recent years, green energy was the only where investments have been made and this happened because of the support schemes. The investor was persuaded that Romania's scheme was better than elsewhere, that there is a certain stability, and so he put his money into renewable energy,' Borotea said.
He also emphasized that the conventional energy sector did not benefit from investments, the only being those by OMV Petrom in the gas-fueled 860 MW plant in Brazi.
The European Commission adopted on January 10, 2007 a legislative package that defines the European Union's future energy policy, with particular focus on promoting sustainable electricity production, under consideration of the targets set under the Kyoto Protocol to cut until 2012 greenhouse gas emissions to 8% below the 1990 level and prevent climate change caused by global warming. Apart from diversifying electricity sources, the EU goals include the progressive cut in greenhouse gas emissions at 20% below 1990 levels by 2020, 30% below the same reference by 2030, and 60-80% below the said level by 2050.