Electrica plans to invest in fast start gas-fired power plants in order to balance its electricity production from renewable sources, said CEO of the company Corina Popescu.
Popescu said that she cannot talk about the actual projects, because Electrica is a listed company, but the company’s strategy is to develop a solution for balancing electricity production from renewable sources, and the best option is natural gas-fired generation.
She stressed that for the successful liberalization of the market, Romania needs a developed wholesale market and interconnection between neighboring countries. This includes both electricity and gas markets. She said that from now on, these two markets will be interconnected, and what will happen to one will affect the other.
Earlier this week, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy and Energy Niculae Havrilet said that talks between the Romanian Government and the European Commission (EC) are positive and it is likely that the EC will grant Romania a special treatment for using natural gas as a transition solution to carbon-free economy. Havrilet said that Romania will be given a special treatment because it has its own gas production (Romania is currently the second largest gas producer in the EU). Therefore, natural gas should be included in some economically sustainable projects for a longer period of time.
