Investments in the Black Sea in the energy sector will offer Romania the necessary security guarantees, said the president of the National Energy Regulatory Authority, George Niculescu, at the Black Sea Forum on Wednesday.
“This Black Sea area represents a great center and a great platform of energy resources. I must emphasize that Romania is the first country in the Black Sea region to have an offshore wind energy law. I must tell you for sure that we have huge ambitions. We want Romania to be the first country in the Black Sea region to develop an electricity production project at the level of the Black Sea. We have significant investments in the Port of Constanta, because we cannot have an offshore wind sector without a strong infrastructure in this port, which ensures the operation and maintenance of the equipment in the industry. I believe that the Port of Constanta will obtain significant investments to develop the equipment in the port and I am convinced that Romania will be the first country in the Black Sea region to implement this technology. We are, after all, in a conflict zone, and investments in the Black Sea in the energy sector will provide Romania with the necessary security guarantees,” Niculescu said, according to Agerpres.
The head of ANRE stressed that the Black Sea area has a lot of potential in the energy sector.
“The Black Sea area has a lot of potential in the energy sector. 2-3 years ago, in June, an American company started producing natural gas in the Black Sea area. This company is called Black Sea Oil & Gas. OMV Petrom will start producing natural gas from the Neptun Deep area. Over 100 billion cubic meters are in this natural gas field and this project will allow Romania to export natural gas, meaning energy security to the countries in our neighborhood,” he said.
Niculescu stressed the importance of Constanța county in the energy sector, emphasizing that this is a “real energy center” in full expansion.
“I come from Constanta, I am originally from Constanta and I am very interested in what is happening in Constanta and in the Black Sea area. I am a product of Constanta, I was born, I settled, I started a family there, I was educated, my whole career started in Constanta and I later went to Bucharest to be the deputy minister of Energy, and my mission in the energy sector continues at the head of ANRE. It would be honest of me to say in this presentation that I will be a little subjective, having this affection for Constanta, which is clearly a center of energy security, it is gaining momentum in the energy market. Considering that the county hosts the only nuclear power plant in the country, in Cernavodă, and Romania intends to continue its nuclear program, doubling the area and power of the nuclear power plant in Cernavodă from 1,400 MW to 2,800 MW of installed capacity,” he said.
The region also has the largest wind farms in the country, 500 megawatts installed in the Fântânele Cogealac area, continued the ANRE president.
“We also have very high potential for solar energy, also in Constanța county, which is why we say that the region is a real energy center that is in full expansion. Another particularly important strategic project, also appeared in Constanța, is the high-voltage cable connecting the Caspian Sea to Europe. As a result of the memorandum of understanding and cooperation signed in September 2022, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania will participate in the development of this infrastructure with the role of transporting renewable energy, from renewable sources, from the Caspian Sea, through Azerbaijan, Georgia, to Europe, thus powering the economies of Europe,” added George Niculescu.