Romania is one of the countries with the weakest results in adopting renewable energy in the transport sector, and the year 2035 is considered much more feasible for achieving the current decarbonization commitments set for 2030, declared the Secretary of State from the Ministry of Energy, Sorin Elisei, on Wednesday.
„The current crisis and those that will follow will confirm, at least this is my conviction, some of the decarbonization trends by moving away from fossil fuels that are not under the control or responsibility of the member states, at least when we speak about the European Union. However, this requires massive investments. We are one of the weakest countries in terms of adopting renewable energy in the transport sector. Year after year, we register an increase in the number of second-hand vehicles, an increase in diesel and gasoline consumption, and the only way we fight this phenomenon is through biofuels. However, these do not cover Romania's commitments regarding the 2030 target, which, if I look at the succession of crises and how governments have allocated money to support this process from public funds, is not truly achievable. I believe 2035 is much more feasible than 2030 for achieving the current commitments set for 2030.” said Elisei, according to Agerpres.
He also mentioned that the Romanian state has considered the idea of supporting the production of second-generation biofuels.
„The state, through the Ministry of Energy, has considered supporting the production of second-generation biofuels, specifically bioethanol, as well as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), along with HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, editor's note). These would be produced locally, from raw materials largely available domestically, and would contribute to both energy security and the reduction of dependence on oil and its derivatives. We discussed support schemes. The only funding source we see at this time is the Modernization Fund. We are also actively engaged at the government level to position the Ministry of Energy's needs within the next multiannual financial framework for 2027-2034, so that this reduction in fossil fuel consumption in transport can be stimulated. In addition to these, there are, of course, the adoption of electric vehicles, infrastructure development, and other complementary measures. However, if I look at the big picture, the only real difference, the only real impact regarding commitments, would be the actual decarbonization of the fleet we have on the roads today.”, believes the energy official.
In the vision of the Secretary of State, the authorities must sit down and outline a strategy for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), „which also takes into account the temporal aspect.”.
„A few words about CCS as well... We understand there is a project that has been accepted for funding through the Innovation Fund. We supported it. We support any other project involving beneficiaries from hard-to-decarbonize industries – a cement factory or a company from the so-called hard-to-abate industries. But at the moment, I see the need for all authorities to sit down at the table again and outline some kind of CCS strategy, one that also takes into account the timeline. The current 2030 target, I dare say, is not achievable. We need to look at and discuss with the European Commission Romania's quota of millions of tons to be stored. I would say that offshore is more suitable for CCS than the current onshore perspective, as we expect many challenges related to public acceptance and infrastructure. The time needed to develop this type of project is at least six to seven years. We currently have a financing contract, but we will be talking about CCS, I would say, in six to seven, perhaps ten years from now, because these are very complex projects. What the Ministry of Energy can do for the current project is to allow the infrastructure to operate and serve the transport of CO2, in any form, gas or liquid, and to implement the necessary regulatory framework to allow stakeholders to truly invest.”explained Sorin Elisei.