Romania has a strategic position and can contribute significantly to the security, stability and energy independence of Europe, the Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja says.
„Today, at The Economist Romanian Business & Investment Roundtable, we discussed Europe’s energy security at a time when the challenges are very great, European states are struggling to escape energy dependence on Russia, and our country has the opportunity to be a central actor in this common effort. Romania has a strategic position and can contribute significantly to Europe’s security, stability and energy independence. The advantages are on our side. We have important resources – natural gas, nuclear energy, a rapidly growing renewables sector – and we are starting to develop the energy infrastructure necessary to harness them to Romania’s advantage. I recalled Romania’s participation in projects such as the Vertical Gas Corridor, which will increase connections between Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, offering an alternative for the region’s gas supply”, the minister of energy wrote on Facebook on Tuesday evening.
He pointed out that Romania places great emphasis on the development of interconnections, investing seriously in such networks in recent years.
„However, I also insisted on the need to expand storage capacities. Storage helps prepare for difficult periods, with high consumption or price fluctuations, reducing security risks in the energy sector”, Burduja said.
As to the topic of the energy transition, the minister of energy stressed that he reaffirmed Romania’s commitment to continue investing in clean energy production capacities. „The 14 billion euros, non-reimbursable funds that we brought to our country for green energy projects, are testimony to this. I reiterated here that, in this process, a balance is needed, so that Europe can regain its role internationally from the perspective of its own competitiveness”, Burduja also emphasized.
In his opinion, Romania has a vital role in European energy, and the interest in what the Neptun Deep project can do for the entire region „is huge.” „Just as gas is for Romania the main resource for the transition to clean energy, nuclear energy remains the central element of our medium and long-term emissions reduction strategy, and this was the reason why we have made so many efforts to ensure that the modernization and expansion of the Cernavoda Power Plant is on track,” the energy minister said.
Last but not least, Burduja pointed out that Europe’s energy security and safety can only be achieved through close collaboration between countries.
„I remain firmly convinced that Europe’s energy security and safety can only be achieved through close collaboration between countries, by expanding infrastructure and increasing production capacity, by intelligently using the resources we already have, so as not to sacrifice the competitiveness of European countries or the accessibility of energy for people and companies,” Sebastian Burduja also wrote on his social media account.
AGERPRES
