The Romanian government said it approved the country’s new energy strategy for the period 2025-2035, with a long-term outlook to 2050, thereby committing to resuming the production of uranium for generation of nuclear energy.
Source: code83, pixabay.com
The new energy strategy outlines key objectives to ensure energy security, sustainability, and accessibility while aligning with the European Union’s climate goals for 2030, 2040, and 2050, the government said in a press release on Thursday.
Through the new energy strategy Romania will become independent from natural gas imports by 2027, prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said in a statement.
“We are also resuming the production of uranium for the country’s nuclear consumption, thus eliminating imports,” Ciolacu said.
The document is predicated on six pillars for the sustainable development of the energy sector including energy security, low-carbon energy, energy efficiency, universal access and economic competitiveness, efficient energy markets and digitalisation, and smart grids coupled with cybersecurity.
Romania aims to end natural gas imports by 2027 as well as imports of solid fossil fuels by 2035, with plans to boost domestic production of batteries and photovoltaic parks, restart uranium mining to fuel nuclear power plants, and ensure energy security for neighbouring Moldova.
Under the new energy strategy, Romania’s greenhouse gas emissions are set to be reduced by 87% by 2035, with coal completely phased out of the energy mix by 2032 and renewables accounting for 44% of energy consumption by 2035 and 73% by 2050.
Investments will also target the extension of the lifespan of existing energy capacities while also building new large-scale facilities. Nuclear capacity will also expand through the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs). A public-private partnership involving the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and the UAE has pledged up to $275 million (263.9 million) for an SMR power plant in Doicesti, southern Romania, announced at last year’s G7 Summit in Hiroshima. At the 2023 Summit, EXIM Bank and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation also offered letters of interest to provide up to $3 billion and $1 billion, respectively, for the project. In October, EXIM Bank approved up to $99 million in funding.
Romania currently operates two reactors of 700 MW each at its sole nuclear power plant Cernavoda based on the CANDU 6 (Canadian Deuterium Uranium) technology that uses natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as moderator and cooling agent. Plans are underway to develop new Units 3 and 4 with a total capacity of 1,400 MW, based on the same technology, by 2032.
Total installed power generation capacity in Romania is projected to reach 40 GW by 2035, with renewable sources accounting for a share of 80%. Wind and solar capacity is set to increase by 19.5 GW, raising the share of renewable energy in electricity consumption from 41% in 2020 to 61% by 2035. The development of battery energy systems and pumped hydro storage facilities will boost energy storage capacity to 2 GW by 2030.
The natural gas network will also change its composition to include 5% biogas by 2030 and 10% by 2035. By 2036, the natural gas infrastructure will incorporate green gases like hydrogen, with at least 50% of fuels being renewable or low-carbon.
Source: Seenews
