Romania could get larger amount of money to close its coal-fired thermal power plants, from Just Transition Fund.
The funds earmarked for Romania under the Just Transition Fund, aimed at helping European Union countries cut the CO2 emissions by 50 % by 2030, went up significantly from 700 million euros to 4.4 billion euros, as the total size of the fund was increased by 7.5 billion to 40 billion euros.
European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said that the EU will support the sectors and regions most affected by the transition. Coal-intensive regions, such as those in Romania, are an example for this. She said that this is the third-largest national allocation from this fund and will support vulnerable workers in Romania, creating new economic opportunities for SMEs and start-ups.
On the other hand, Romanian Minister of Economy and Energy Virgil Popescu stressed that Romania needs significant investments to cut its CO2 emissions. He also mentioned that natural gas and nuclear energy as transition resources toward renewable resources are just a rhetoric that is not yet part of the mainstream Green Deal strategy.
Minister Popescu said that Romania already operates two reactors at nuclear power plant Cernavoda and plans to build another two reactors, adding that all EU states should support nuclear energy.
The European Atomic Forum (FORATOM) said it welcomed the EU’s goal of providing financial support to coal-dependent regions to assist them in their decarbonization efforts, but regrets the Commission’s proposal to exclude such funds being used for nuclear power plants.
