Romania: new 3.692GW Solar Power capacity to be added in the next decade

SMM: according to the government's 2020-2030 Energy Strategy (draft), Romania plans to invest more than 22.6 billion yuan in its energy sector in the next decade, according to the Romanian Ministry of economy.

Romania aims to meet 30.7% of its renewable energy needs by 2030, compared with 24.4% currently, according to a plan released by the Ministry of Economic Affairs on Wednesday for public discussion.

Over the next decade, Romania plans to increase its installed energy production capacity by 35 per cent, including 2302 megawatts of wind power and 3692 megawatts of solar power, thus ensuring higher energy independence.

The strategic blueprint shows that higher energy production capacity will help Romania reduce energy imports from 20.8 per cent of estimated consumption in 2020 to 17.8 per cent in 2030, reaching one of the lowest levels of dependence on energy imports in the European Union.

With regard to natural gas, Romania will focus on the development of the national natural gas transmission system on the (BRUA) corridor in Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria, as well as the natural gas corridor in southern Romania. Romania plans to replace several coal-fired units by 2030 with natural gas-powered combined cycle units and units based on renewable energy.

The strategy also envisages the construction of two other reactors at the Cherna Voda nuclear power plant operated by the nuclear power company. The plan shows that electricity generated through nuclear fission currently covers about 18 per cent of the country's electricity production through the two existing units in Chernavoda, and that share will increase to 28 per cent by 2035 by adding two reactors.