Only with energy security, affordable energy for the economy and population and economic competitiveness can the decisive step be taken towards the next essential objective – obtaining clean, green energy, prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Tuesday, at the Business Forum organized at the Palace of Parliament, on the occasion of the meeting of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation.

„Energy and climate are inseparable areas, we cannot build policies in one area without thinking about the other. (…) The challenges in these areas are global, therefore we need to find global solutions. Together with European and American partners, we can propose efficient solutions for energy and climate. We can only speak with one voice if we work in sync and change the world by example! When I say ‘we’ I don’t mean only politicians, but also businesspersons, researchers, experts and civil society,” Ciolacu said.

„Our energy systems must be able to supply energy at any time and under conditions of internal or external stress to all consumers, anywhere. Reducing energy costs for all consumers, individual and industrial, is a problem that must be tackled head-on. We, like the whole of Europe, are also at risk of losing our competitive advantage because of high energy prices. We must reverse this trend immediately,” the prime minister said.

According to him, it is urgent to modernize energy production capacities and transmission lines, which can „stabilize the energy system, also allowing the free circulation of energy, in a single market, but a functional one.” At the same time, he pointed out that it is necessary to diversify energy sources and means of production, and in the context of the war in Ukraine and the approach of winter, immediate action is needed to support the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, all countries in the region with vulnerabilities.

„We are investing billions of euros in new capacities to obtain energy from renewable sources and we are aiming to double Romania’s nuclear capacity. (…) We are starting the Neptun Deep project, a crucial gas exploration project in the Black Sea, which will double Romania’s gas production capacity and turn the country into the largest producer in the EU starting with 2027. At the same time, we are building a high-voltage direct current transmission system that carries energy from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Romania to Hungary and the rest of Europe,” Ciolacu said.

He highlighted the support provided to Romania by the US in strategic energy projects in the nuclear field and also mentioned a project developed with US partners in the field of geothermal energy.
„A memorandum of understanding is signed today between ELCEN and the American company SAGE Geosystems. Bucharest has this resource in the north of the city. With the support of the US, we will be able to integrate geothermal energy into the capital’s heating system, reducing residents’ bills and using clean energy,” Ciolacu added.

„I invite you to be partners in ambitious development projects for the benefit of all the citizens we represent,” Ciolacu told the participants at the forum.

AGERPRES