Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said Monday in Oradea that completing the Iernut thermal power plant, which has been under construction for around 10 years and is more than 90% complete, should be a priority, with Romgaz management committing to completing the investment by the end of this year.
'They have to finish it, because it is difficult to explain to people that we have a power plant that has been under construction for 10 years. It is a very advanced project, more than 90% complete,' Ilie Bolojan told AGERPRES when asked which project should be implemented first under the Energy Pact, Agerpres reports.
Bolojan said that, in parallel, the completion and authorisation of other generation capacities must be supported, including the energy unit at Mintia, with a capacity of more than 1,000 MW.
The prime minister acknowledged that Romania will continue to import electricity until the new generation capacities are completed.
'That is the situation. We are not the only country in this situation; there are other countries as well,' Bolojan said, adding that once the new capacities come online, Romania could become an electricity exporter again.
Referring to the Energy Pact, Bolojan stressed the need for a clear timetable of measures and continuity in decision-making beyond political changes.
'We need to discuss what needs to be done, agree on a timetable for legislative changes and approaches, and support professionals in energy decision-making rather than appointments based on patronage or political criteria,' the prime minister said.
He added that the sector's problems cannot be solved 'overnight', as they require major investments, appropriate regulation, effective management of state-owned energy companies and 'consistency in government action'.
Among the priorities, the prime minister listed the development of energy storage capacity, which he described as 'vital' for reducing the volatility caused by wind and photovoltaic generation, as well as the development of baseload power generation, including the completion of gas-fired power plants currently under construction.
'The sooner we complete them, the sooner we will have more than 1,000 megawatts in production, which means almost 20% of the national energy requirement,' the prime minister said.
Regarding nuclear energy, Bolojan said it currently accounts for around 20% of Romania's electricity production, but developing new reactors also requires investment in securing the water needed to operate the existing ones.
The prime minister also spoke about prosumers, arguing that connecting new photovoltaic installations should be conditional on the installation of storage batteries, in order to reduce the volatility introduced into the system.
He estimated that consistently implementing these measures over the next two to three years could help reduce problems in the system and, consequently, bring down electricity prices.
