“Yes, Romania has a very clear objective of energy independence”, said the Romanian Energy Minister Virgil Popescu in a speech at the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum, which is currently taking place in Bucharest. “We have changed the objective from energy security to energy independence, because we can achieve it,” he said, referring to the nuclear program Romania is developing, including especially the two new reactors at Cernavodă and the small modular reactor at Doicești. “The exploitation of gas from the Black Sea will ensure our independence in terms of natural gas supply […] because we will produce more than we can consume”, Virgil Popescu added.

The Romanian Energy Minister talked about the transformation of the national energy system from coal-fired power generation to renewables, “using natural gas as a transitional fuel”. Among the objectives, alongside energy independence, Virgil Popescu also mentioned the transformation of the Romanian energy system into a clean one, with no CO2 emissions.