An emergency decree adopted by the government establishes the general legal framework for the gradual closure and conservation of power production units and coal mines, the ministry said in a press release.
“We propose the closure and conservation of these electricity production units because we notice in this energy crisis that it is not known when you will need to be able to produce electricity from coal again,” energy minister Virgil Popescu told a press conference.
In order to offset the capacity deficit created by the elimination of coal from the energy mix, investments need to be made for the commissioning by 2030 of new hydroelectric and nuclear power generation capacities, as per the decree which stipulates multiple social protection measures for people affected by the changes.
The decarbonisation of the energy sector is part of Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, under which the country is set to receive EUR14.2 billion ($14.8 billion) in grants and EUR14.9 billion in loans from the European Union.