The Energy Ministry posted on December 19 the Energy Strategy of Romania 2016-2030, with an Outlook to 2050. It has been a long-awaited document, on which stakeholders have for years pinned hopes about favored energy policies and from which decision-makers, public and private, expect guidance in the coming years.
Based on a rigorous and complex elaboration that spanned over more than one year, the strategy provides a diagnosis of the system’s strengths and vulnerabilities, as well as thorough long-term projections for the national energy sector.
More than 300 experts were involved in the process, contributing in several respects: they infused realism and relevant details based on their sectoral knowledge; they suggested relevant angles for the quantitative modelling that followed; and they helped frame a vision of the country’s development in the energy sector for 2030 and beyond. The numerical modelling was done using the PRIMES/GEM-E3 suite of models – property of the Greek company E3M – employed with predilection by the European Commission for about two decades now in grounding its energy and climate policy proposals.
More than a few stakeholders – companies, associations, and academics – have stated their appreciation about the professionalism, inclusiveness and accuracy evinced in the making of the new Romanian Energy Strategy. Unsurprisingly though, shortly after submitting the draft version to public debate on November 15, criticism started being voiced about both the form and the content of the document.