EnergyMin: We are one of the countries that has undertaken a very ambitious decarbonisation plan

EnergyMin: We are one of the countries that has undertaken a very ambitious decarbonisation plan

Romania is one of the countries that has undertaken a very ambitious decarbonisation plan, currently approximately 14% of the energy produced in the country is based on coal, and by 2026 it will reach about 0.3%, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said at a specialist event on Thursday, told Agerpres.

"We are one of the countries that has undertaken a very ambitious decarbonisation plan. Today we are talking about approximately 14% of the energy produced in Romania based on coal. Of the total energy, 14% is coal. In 2026, this percentage will be around 0.3% so we will basically be carbon free from a coal perspective in just a few years. Of course, this puts some challenges on the table - and I can tell you that I cannot forget or ignore the fact that when I was in the Jiu Valley, where there are still some 2,032 miners, in 1989 there were 55,000 - so you can imagine what a transformation. But, one of the 2,032 miners came to me at some point during the official visit, pulled me by the sleeve and said: Minister, come here a minute. Please. Minister, look at these hands - and I'm speechless. He said: Minister, do you see these black hands? I put on the table, for three children, a white bread every day - and you cannot ignore, as a minister, as a man, as a Romanian, the story of these people. I especially wanted to share this experience with you because I was very pleased with what I found in this code of good practice - namely that all the investments you make also generate jobs and we are talking about more than 20,000 jobs. This is good news for people like the man I met in the Jiu Valley," said Sebastian Burduja, at the launch of the second issue of the Code of Good Practice for Renewable Energy, a project initiated by the Romanian Photovoltaic Industry Association (RPIA) in collaboration with the Romanian Wind Energy Association (RWEA).

He stressed that the smart transition to a greener energy economy also means opportunities, and "we have a duty to seize them together: public, private environment."