This is the transcript of the message delivered by Victor Grigorescu, Minister of Energy, during the 2016 Energy Strategy Summit, held on May 31 at Snagov Palace. For a sum-up of the main ideas, check our previous material: 27 essential ideas after Energy Strategy Summit 2016.

Good morning,

I enjoy every time when I get to talk about the importance of the energy strategy. I welcome the presence of H.E. Ambassador Richard Morningstar. It is a great joy to be able to discuss some important things about the present moment and the steps that we are about to undertake in the coming years. As everyone knows, we are in the process of shaping a national energy strategy.

To begin with, I would refer to an element of technicality; Today (May 31 – editor’s note) we completed the last work report, following the session for oil and gas and we hope to present it soon for public consultation. This report concludes the quantitative evaluation stage. From here follows building a consolidated document for the next month, a document that will reflect for the first time a body of solid elements to base the energy strategy and a more concrete idea about how it will look this fall.

Since we are in this exercise of reviewing the energy strategy, a few things have to be mentioned. First, the debate involved consultations with more than 300 specialists, consultations that brought elements of substance; therefore, I hope to have at the end a document that is representative of all stakeholders of Romania’s energy sector.

I think we are in a moment of inflection, when we can choose several options and this exercise comes at an optimum time, which allows us to make an informed choice. There are at least two things that will significantly impact the development of the energy sector: interconnectivity in a broad sense (not just physical, but also the integration of markets, trade, exports of gas) and the technological revolution. I firmly believe that Romania should connect to the poles of technological development so that in the future we will be able to be a part of the energy transition (decarbonization, efficiency in use). I believe that technology is the key.

We presented these elements also to out British and American partners. It is extremely important for us to make a constant, consistent and wide endeavor to rally us to this process of technological growth. These two elements should be an important part of our efforts in the coming years.

Romania has a strong energy system in the region, we have natural resources, and we have the experience. In parallel, we have a number of vulnerabilities; not all energy sectors perform the same, we experience difficulty in certain areas, such as the coal sector. Technology can provide an answer for the future of this fossil fuel, one of the most resilient and one that Romania uses whenever is going through extreme temperatures. District heating is a second element on which we must take a careful look in the coming years.

In the last six months we have had a lot of interest, different perspectives, and if we can identify a minimum common denominator for the coming years I think we have made a good step.

Thank you!