EnerMin Popescu: Decarbonisation process cannot be without nuclear power

Energy means security, and the decarbonisation process cannot be without nuclear power, Energy Minister Virgil Popescu said on Thursday after the ministerial meeting of the Transatlantic Partnership for Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC) held in Poland in Warsaw, according to a press release of the Ministry of Energy, sent to STIRIPESURSE.

"I've said that energy means security, and the process of decarbonisation cannot be without nuclear power. At the same time, during the meeting with our partners in the U.S., I've discussed the cooperation in the field of energy in the context of the 10th anniversary of the conclusion of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the U.S. and the Romania-U.S. Agreement for cooperation in relation to the nuclear-energy projects in (southeastern) Cernavoda. I look forward to working together with our U.S. partners to promote our energy and climate security, to develop projects for nuclear cooperation, but also for the development of the rare metal industry in Romania. I also had fruitful discussions with my colleagues from Poland, Serbia and Ukraine regarding the development of joint investment projects to strengthen energy security," Virgil Popescu said.

According to the source, the Romanian official pleaded for the adoption of a strategic vision on the development of our energy system that would be focused on mitigating climate change and on ensuring a fair and equitable transition.

The Transatlantic Partnership for Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC), in Warsaw, Poland, was organised under the aegis of U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Polish Minister for Climate and Environment Michal Kurtyka, and brought together high-level representatives from the European Commission and the states participating in the P-TECC.

On the meeting's sidelines, the Romanian Minister of Energy had meetings with both Jennifer Granholm and the Special Representative of Poland for strategic energy infrastructure, Piotr Naimski, as well as with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Mining and Energy of Serbia, Zorana Mihajlovic, and with the Minister of Energy of Ukraine, German Galushchenko.