Premium
Energy Minister Virgil Popescu puts Romania's energy security at risk every day and must immediately step down from office, claims the simple motion submitted today to the Chamber of Deputies by the opposition Save Romania Union (USR).
Titled 'Incompetence and lying cut off the power in Romania. 'Next week' Minister Virgil Popescu - a danger for Romania's energy security', the document argues that in his capacity as Energy Minister, Popescu was given the "chance" to reform the energy system and contribute to strengthening Romania's energy security, but instead "continued the same disaster and the same scheming of the last 31 years".
USR terms the management of the energy bill crisis a "disaster", noting that Romanians have ended up paying "huge" bills. "A family that wants to heat a four-room home gets to pay RON 1,800 for gas per month," the motion states, noting that energy bills have been rising, and people and the economy are suffering due to the "bad" decisions made by Minister Virgil Popescu, Agerpres.ro informs.
The document also states that in order to "cover up his incompetence", Virgil Popescu "toured the televisions to say that energy and gas suppliers are thieves".
In USR's opinion, Virgil Popescu is "the Minister who shutters the energy industry", given that since he has taken office, the installed capacity of energy production facilities has slumped by almost 25 percent from 24,605 MW to 18,568 MW and "power plants are closing one by one".
The signatories of the motion consider that through his inaction, Virgil Popescu "supports dependence on Russian gas" and accuse him of "promoting incompetence and hypocrisy", while sinecures in state-owned energy companies have skyrocketed during his term, citing the example of appointments to power supplier and distributor Electrica, and to the National Energy Regulatory Authority.
