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EnergyMin Gerea: Ageing energy infrastructure, one of Romania's challenges
The ageing energy infrastructure and the volatility of fossil fuel prices are some of the challenges facing Romania, Minister of Energy, SMEs and Business Environment Andrei Gerea told a Monday's conference on energy issues."The Ministry of Energy is involved in developing a strategy in energy field. We want to rely in the future on a complex energy mix: hydro, nuclear, coal, oil, natural gas and renewable energy. Our energy policy should be based on concepts of security and energy independence. Romania is facing new challenges: the increasing energy dependence on non-EU countries, the volatility of fossil fuel prices, the ageing energy of the infrastructure — equally the power plants and the grids — and the concern with the consequences of global warming. These mean the need for transition to a low-carbon economy," said Gerea.
He added that authorities want to ensure affordable energy and protect the relevant consumers.
"We are considering the development of the energy sector at the macroeconomic level and we are taking into account the fact that the energy price influences the industry's competitiveness, jobs, local investments and state budget revenues. We wish to ensure affordable energy prices and protect consumers. We target strategic investments in energy projects that can rejuvenate the Romanian industry, such as Units 3 and 4 of Cernavoda nuclear power plant, building a power plant with a capacity of 600 MW in Oltenia, the recovery of energy productions based on coal and upgrading mines and development of interconnections with neighbouring countries and creating the premises for the expansion of Romanian energy companies on foreign markets," the minister added.
According to him, Romania needs renewable energy sources, especially biomass and bio-energy.
"In all this context we say that we need renewable energy, particularly biomass and bio-energy, but our goal is to keep that beneficial balance between investors in the renewable energy sector, household consumers and energy-consuming industries," Gerea underscored.
The National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) and the Energy Regulators Regional Association (ERRA) are organizing the 14th Conference on 'Investments and Regulation in Energy,' October 5 to 7, in Bucharest.