Romania will reach the apocalyptic scenario in which we will have to turn off the light, if we do not urgently build new power plants to produce electricity from non-polluting sources, said on Thursday Bogdan Badea, president of Hidroelectrica.
He was heard in the parliamentary inquiry into the causes of high energy prices and said many of the company’s investments in hydropower plants were blocked and delayed by environmental authorities on the grounds that they would destroy natural habitats.
“I want to inform the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the price of energy of the existence of legislative inconsistencies that are not of today, of yesterday. They have been in Romania over time and have generated contradictions between the regulations in force, and their interpretation has lead to absurd situations. We need to see how these absurd situations can be corrected so that, in compliance with European directives and national legislation, we achieve our goals,” Badea said, according to Agerpres.
He pointed out that the hydropower facilities do not destroy, but create habitats, and the areas where hydropower plants were built, were later designated as Natura 2000 sites.
“The target (for reducing emissions that Romania has assumed – no.) is, unfortunately, an extremely, extremely urgent one. We are in the thirteenth hour, we are not even in the twelfth hour in terms of the transition to a greener energy sector. We see that we have a shortage of energy capacity for years, which has not happened before in Romania, the price of carbon is at an unprecedented level, which will generate the premises for the accelerated closure of fossil fuel plants and we have to put something in place very quickly, otherwise we will surely end up in that apocalyptic scenario in which we will have to turn off the light. That is the reality,” said Hidroelectrica’s CEO.
Badea pointed out that there are situations in which Hidroelectrica wants to replace old equipment with new ones and the environmental authorities are asking for environmental impact studies that last for years.
“It is profoundly abnormal. It is an example of legislation that needs to be amended. I do not think we are violating any European directive or national law. There is no additional impact, it is normal maintenance work,” Badea added.