Romanian Energy Efficiency Forum : Developing a Sustainable Romania

The opportunities and obstacles that Romania faces when it comes to sustainable development are reflected in the energy efficiency sector. After Law 121/2014 on energy efficiency came into effect, the road towards establishing strategies through which objectives set forth by this law could be achieved, in conformity with EU regulations, was opened.

The Romanian Energy Efficiency Forum, hosted by The Romanian Association for the Promotion of Energy Efficiency (ARPEE) and GovNet Conferences, brought to light many of the hindrances and opportunities which arose as a result of implementing European Directive 27/2012. Among the participants in event were 18 speakers, big players in the energy and industry fields, and also representatives of Romanian authorities.

Secretary of State for the Ministry of Economics, Maricel Popa's presentation brought into discussion the national energy strategy and the publishing of an assignment book with the purpose of enacting a study in this respect.

Gerard Verdebout, president of ARPEE, stated during the conference that: “The European Commission is working on a project for a heating/ cooling network in Europe [which should be finalized soon]. We hope that the national energy strategy will soon be finalized in Romania as well.”

“There has been talk of a national energy strategy, and, as long as they are still working on it, we believe that the energy service market should take a leading role in promoting activities related to the energy field. This isn't just our own opinion, as you are probably aware, it is a unanimously shared opinion on a European level as of late, and, this is probably where the directives and pressure to enact them into national law come from, as energy efficiency represents the most cost effective way of promoting strategic objectives on a national level,” Daniel Radut, Director of Energy Services from CEZ Group said.

“We are already traditional partners and we are all here because we share common values. What is the ultimate utility of energy? It is, in the end, the comfort of our family. Our family is one of our common values […] We would all want to have a national energy strategy by the end of the year,” explained Gabriel Istoc, General Manager of B-Team added during his presentation.

The dialogue was centered around the current and future state of energy efficiency within companies present at the event as well as the Romanian state.

“Seeing as how our solution is not a black box which could be connected and immediately start to reduce energy consumption, we need to start the discussion by understanding the energy flow.

Comprehending the idea of the energy flow and the process where it is used is the first step, we believe, towards energy efficiency, and its analysis takes us in the right direction for enacting each client's policies and investments,” Razvan Todor, Business Developement Manager for Adrem Automation declared.

Observations regarding EU Directive 27/2012 were made all throughout the event.

Mirela Plesca Head of Department Cooperation and projects ANRE noted that: “It is a very complicated directive. Right now, if you check the site of the EU Commission you will notice that 27 out of 28 member states are dealing with the infringement procedure, in different stages.”

A novelty in terms of participants came in the form of Microsoft's presence at the conference.

Todi Prudeanu, Business Developement Manager for Microsoft Romania declared: “This is the first time we have ever been present at an event dedicated to energy efficiency. This is, therefore firstly a message of support for our partners, Adrem. [...] This does not mean though that we as a company have nothing to do with energy efficiency. […] We, ourselves do not have an energy management product, [however] it is an opportunity for Microsoft to be closer to solution providers, like Adrem. We are somehow getting out of our comfort zones and drawing closer to the industrial and business processes, working together with our partners for such solutions”.

Catalin Homor, General Director of Metrorex talked about the way in which the company is trying to reduce energy consumption, for itself as well as for drivers in general, stating with regard to Metrorex's project, for example that “above ground parking [is] a trend which Bucharest must follow in order to prevent the city's traffic from being blocked by vehicles coming from commuter areas.”

Bruno Ribo, CEO of Arcelor Mittal added that the two companies, Arcelor and Metrorex, have much in common and that “energy efficiency is tied to the weight of the train cars.” He then added: “ We produce stiffer and more powerful steel which reduces the cars' weight while keeping its resistance unchanged”.

Referring to new technologies which might help preserve the environment, Gheorghe Dobra, General Director of ALRO stated: “We believe that aluminum will become a worldwide environmentally friendlier alternative for storing energy than present technologies.”

In the same spirit of environmental preservation, Bogdan Balaci, General Manager of Philips Lighting talked about the Power over Ethernet System: “The Power over Ethernet technology allows charging lighting systems over Ethernet. There are already buildings out there which use this technology. Think of the impact on everything that has to do with facility management, the fact that we would not need lighting cables anymore in a building which is completely integrated to the IT systems.”

“Our role is to help our clients in the industry. Through reducing energy consumption we reduce waste and extend the life of equipment and oil used. We need to help them raise productivity,” Giovanni Gagliardi, Lubricant Field Engineer, EXXON Mobile SE Europe emphasized.

The importance of energy efficiency was emphasized throughout the conference, showing how preoccupied the Romanian state and the companies are in sustainable development of Romania. Thus, by understanding the dangers arising from ignoring the consequences of the fact that many of the planet's resources are not renewable, one can act in a preventive manner so that future generations do not have to be subjected to sacrifices because of the present generation's wasteful attitude.

In this respect, Costel Cirstea General Manager and Energy Finance Manager/ Expense Reduction Team for Doosan IMGB added that “It is because of laziness that we have come to the exhaustion of our resources. If we do not stop our continuous consume, the future will not be a bright one.”

Madalin Apostol, Department Manager, Special Projects for OMV Petrom, said in closing that “energy efficiency must be treated as a resource in itself”.

Partners of the event were: ARPEE (co-organizator), Adrem Automation, ArcelorMittal, Axpo Energy Romania, B-Team, Bitdefender, CEZ Group, Holcim Romanian, Lubexpert, Luxten, Microsoft, OMV Petrom, Phillips, Recolamp, Schneider Electric, Transelectrica, Veolia, Vimetco Alro.

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