Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja had a meeting on Tuesday with European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen, during which he reiterated Romania’s firm position that the closure of the 1,755 MW of coal-fired capacity, scheduled for January 1, 2026, is not feasible in the absence of solid alternatives.

„Today, at the Power Summit 2025 – Power Play, I had another very good bilateral discussion with Dan Jorgensen, the European Commissioner for Energy. I reiterated Romania’s firm position: the closure of the 1,755 MW of coal-fired capacity, foreseen in the PNRR for January 1, 2026, is not feasible in the absence of solid alternatives. Romania’s energy security is not negotiable. I emphasized that, without new generation capacities, this measure would make the national energy system vulnerable, especially during the winter period. There are technical arguments and clear data. Moreover, Romania has achieved a 77% reduction in greenhouse gases, ranking first in the EU, and maintains its commitment to completely phase out coal by 2032. But it cannot do this without having equivalent capacities put into operation,” Burduja wrote on Facebook.

He stressed that Romania cannot accept the „vulnerability of its national energy system”, especially since the closure of the Oltenia Energy Complex groups would solve practically nothing, but would have to resort to even more imports, from Serbia, Bulgaria, etc, and the energy produced there is also based on coal and is also very expensive.

„For over a year, I have been explaining to the European Commission that we cannot do this, for objective reasons. The gas-fired groups, which should replace the coal-fired ones, are in the auction, after multiple unsuccessful attempts, because the price of gas turbines has exploded in the last two years. That is why the Ministry of Energy insists on the renegotiation of the PNRR and the postponement of the deadline for the closure of coal-fired power plants. It is Romania’s right, as a member state, to request this renegotiation, based on objective factors, which were not under Romania’s control. I have always advocated for an intelligent and fair transition, for a Smart Deal, which would protect Romanians and our economy. Our country’s energy must be safe, cheap and clean – in this order of priorities. It is common sense”, explained the minister of Energy.

He added that Romania is an example of a European state that has respected its commitments, investing in the expansion and modernization of cross-border connections, which has helped the Republic of Moldova or Ukraine enormously, in new sources of production, in retooling.

„We expect other member states to invest in interconnections, as is normal, so that we can truly have a single and functional European energy market. I trust that Romania’s position will be understood and accepted by our European partners. It is a reasonable position, which takes into account both Romania’s needs and our European commitments”, pointed out Sebastian Burduja.

AGERPRES