An assessment done every year about emerging or solved issues in Romanian energy sector could reveal a number of constants regarding the state of the power system and of operations in oil and gas, constants which, addressed seriously, would undoubtedly lead to strengthening the sector.
Such a constant appeared in recent years is the discussion about the place occupied by coal in the national energy mix and sensitivities associated with the use of this resource, along with the relationship between the critical functionality of power plants and renewable energy units.
Laurențiu Ciurel, director of Oltenia Energy Complex (CEO), the largest lignite group in Romania, expressed the problems brought to the unit he leads by renewables in the annual conference “Energy plugged”, organized by Bursa newspaper:
“We finished upgrading (all power plants that operate within Oltenia Energy Complex-ed.), but we do not have a market anymore because, at this time, Romania has 15,000 MW that can work, out of which 6,000 are renewables, 6,000 hydro and 1,400 nuclear.”
He added that Romania has coal for nearly 40 years, coal remains strategic to ensure the functionality of the electricity sector, but must be part of an energy mix at the producer so that production not to exist based on a single resource.
“There is no other place in the world where energy producers cannibalize themselves, as it happens here. A mix is needed, and Fund (IMF – ed.) needs to understand this too, because Enel and E.ON and CEZ and everyone are exactly like that”, Ciurel stressed.
He added that there is a risk that next year no power plant will be working because of high costs of CO2 certificates. According to Ciurel, CEO produce the cheapest energy from coal in Europe, and Rovinari power plant is the best in the country.
The theme of anti-corruption comes back, this time in state energy companies
Another theme that we can all expect to see you in the ministry of Răzvan Nicolescu is corruption in state companies subordinated to the Department of Energy. Already the Control Body of this Department reported suspicions of virtual or illegal contracts in some state energy companies, and it is expected that these actions will continue.
On this subject, in the same conference, Minister Răzvan Nicolescu said: “The energy sector is not exposed to risks from outside, but we must fix vulnerabilities inside, corruption, bureaucracy and resistance to change.”
In the context of his statements, Răzvan Nicolescu argued that state energy companies have budgeted for this year 1.3 billion euros for investments, but their true potential amounts to two billion euros.