The Ministry of Energy is insisting on renegotiating the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and postponing the deadline for closing coal-fired power plants, otherwise, this would further increase pressure on prices, Minister Sebastian Burduja wrote Friday on his Facebook page.
„Romania’s energy security is non-negotiable. Since the beginning of my term, I have refused to accept the closure of coal-fired units in the absence of equivalent new baseload production capacities. And I have not shut down a single megawatt. On the contrary, we brought Unit 5 of Rovinari, which runs on lignite, back into operation after years of delays. Under the PNRR, by January 1, 2026, we are supposed to close an additional 1,755 MW of coal-fired capacity. For over a year, I have explained to the European Commission that we cannot do this for objective reasons. The gas-fired units meant to replace the coal plants are still in the bidding process, after multiple failed attempts, because gas turbine prices have exploded over the past two years. That’s why the Ministry of Energy insists on renegotiating the PNRR and postponing the deadline for closing the coal power plants. With the same PNRR funds, we will actually far exceed the ‘green’ targets – solar parks, wind farms, and battery storage. As for emissions, we will still meet our goals. Moreover, closing the coal plants would put even more pressure on prices,” Burduja noted.
According to the same source, between 2009 and 2022, Romania shut down over 7,000 MW of coal and gas baseload capacity – „the equivalent of ten Cernavoda nuclear reactors.”
„That’s how we ended up importing during peak consumption times. We import expensively, and ironically, from countries that still produce using coal (Serbia, Bulgaria). What’s the logic in that?! EU integration is the best thing Romania has accomplished in recent decades. It put us on the path to development (we have long surpassed Hungary and are catching up to Poland, unthinkable in 1990). We must stay on this path,” Sebastian Burduja pointed out.
In the Energy minister’s view, it is time for a Smart Deal, and the European Union must listen to the voices of its member states and their citizens, because „it is the voice of reason and logic, beyond the ideology of a ‘shock therapy’ style Green Deal.”
AGERPRES
