Alina Oprea • 3 March, 2023 at 10:28 AM
Geothermal energy is a new source that Romania will carefully study and develop. Together with Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy of the United States of America, and Davor Filipović, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, from Croatia, the Romanian Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu presented the conclusions of the fourth ministerial meeting of the Partnership for Cooperation Transatlantic Energy and Climate Conference (P-TECC), from Zagreb. According to Popescu, there is a need to increase renewable energy production sources.
"Today we discussed energy security, geothermal energy, nuclear energy, the financing of nuclear projects, and the development of education programs to prepare the necessary workforce. We also had a dialogue to find solutions for improving connections and energy transport routes, about the construction of new warehouses, about battery recycling and energy efficiency", says the Romanian Minister of Energy.
Popescu conveyed that it is an honor for Romania to host the Summit of the Three Seas Initiative (I3M) and the I3M Business Forum, this fall in Bucharest, so he invited the officials to Romania.
"At the same time, I said that decarbonization is closely related to nuclear energy and together we can overcome any obstacle to reach our assumed targets. We need to work closely together to have a unified legislative framework at the EU level regarding the development of civil nuclear programs because decarbonization without nuclear power is not possible. Yes, in the near future we also need to increase renewable energy production sources and not only that. After today's discussions about the future of geothermal energy, I believe that it is a new source that we will carefully study and develop. Yes, together we will manage to ensure energy independence and security", added Minister Virgil Popescu.
As a participant in the panel on "Civil Nuclear Strategies", organized on the sidelines of the business forum, at P-TECC, the Romanian minister discussed with Rossen Hristov, the Minister of Energy from Bulgaria, Tomas Ehler, the Minister of Energy and Trade from the Czech Republic, David Durham, CEO, Westinghouse Energy Services, Mike Goff, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy - USA, Chris Levesque, CEO, TerraPower, Danijel Levicar, Gen Energia, Saša Medaković, MOB NK Krško, on innovative nuclear energy technologies, which it gives us the opportunity for rapid decarbonization.
"We have conveyed that in order to achieve the decarbonization objectives assumed at the European level, as well as energy independence, we must invest in all energy sources with low carbon emissions. Because decarbonization without nuclear energy is not possible. The replacement of coal will require investments in a short period of time, which must be done by maximizing the potential and resources specific to each country. At the same time, we must consider the social and economic benefits of nuclear energy and any energy source. Nuclear energy provides new jobs and has a great contribution to a country's GDP", Popescu also said.
In his opinion, international cooperation is needed to ensure energy security and independence.
"We do not support an approach that leads to a competition between renewable and nuclear sources, because they are complementary sources that will ensure a decarbonized energy mix until 2050 and will also ensure the development of the EU hydrogen market to its maximum potential", he specified.