Romanian Minister of Energy Virgil Popescu said that the Ministry has already drafted new Romania’s Energy Strategy, which covers the period until 2026, adding that the Government will approve the document by the end of March or in early April. According to Minister Popescu, the key element of the new strategy is the 30.7 % renewable energy target by 2030, which indicates that the Government is not planning to increase this target although the European Commission previously recommended the increase.
Besides the 30.7 % RES share in final consumption, the strategy also includes the development of the project for the construction of two new units at nuclear power plant Cernavoda and the refurbishment of the plant’s unit 1, as well as gradual transition from coal to natural gas as a fuel for electricity generation.
Last October, the European Commission (EC) said that Romania needs to come up with a concrete plan to increase its renewable energy target to 34 % from 30.7 % by 2030 in order to contribute to the European Union’s renewable goals. Romania’s overall renewable energy contribution grew from 27.9 % estimated in the EC’s last report issued in June 2019 to current 30.7 %. Although this share is 3 % higher, it is still below the renewable share of at least 34% in 2030. On energy efficiency, the EC said that Romania would benefit from the introduction of additional policies and measures that would deliver additional energy savings by 2030, adding that more detailed policies and measures would help ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the proposed measures. On energy security, concrete actions are recommended to address cooperation with neighboring countries at EU and regional level to ensure the diversification of sources and routes, which could harness Romania’s solar, wind and hydropower potential. Finally, Romania would gain from taking concrete measures on the flexibility of the national energy system, including setting a target for additional storage. On the internal energy market, Romania is encouraged, after recently adopting legislation in this field, to take further steps towards market-based prices and a competitive retail market.
