Minister of Energy Dumitru Chisăliță intends to propose the continuation of a support scheme for household natural gas consumers beyond April 1st, with the aim of preventing significant price hikes and facilitating a smoother transition to the next phase.

In an interview with Agerpres, he explained that he would evaluate this scheme to establish a concrete objective regarding the path forward by the end of the year. In his view, transitioning from an administratively regulated framework to a market-based one cannot happen without an interim period.

Regarding vulnerable consumers, the Minister stated that mechanisms are needed to accurately identify those who are truly vulnerable-ensuring support is targeted specifically at those in need, rather than continuing with a model that distributes small amounts of aid to a very large number of people. These options are currently under review, with the goal of introducing a new support scheme for vulnerable consumers this year.

As for energy prices, Dumitru Chisăliță emphasized that the Ministry of Energy will put forward a series of measures-within the bounds of the law-and that, this month, specific, actionable proposals will be presented, which have a realistic chance of being approved. “My primary objective is, quite simply, to get through this winter successfully. I’ve set this as a priority given our current circumstances; it is crucial that we focus on securing sufficient energy and ensuring that our production capacities are fully operational-especially considering the present situation, which is, to put it mildly, far from rosy. Looking back at the history of the energy industry, this ranks among the most difficult situations we have ever faced. Consequently, our main concern-above all else-is the state of our production capacities. I have been holding meetings almost daily-sometimes with all stakeholders, other times with representatives from specific energy sectors-precisely to ensure that things move in a positive direction as we head into the winter. While we are certainly facing many critical, high-pressure situations, the solutions currently in place provide a viable path forward,” said Chisăliță. “My primary wish is for us to get through this winter successfully. That is the number one priority. As for the second most important issue, we must look at vulnerable consumers. We have to be honest and acknowledge that energy poverty in Romania has increased in recent years-driven by economic challenges and rising prices, particularly for electricity (as a support scheme remains in effect and applicable for natural gas). Consequently, we must take action to support vulnerable consumers. Currently, a meeting is underway-based on schemes we devised and submitted to the Ministry of Labor-aimed at coordinating our efforts, given that the issue of vulnerable consumers actually falls under the purview of a different ministry. That said, we are providing our full cooperation and have done everything we deemed appropriate in this regard,” he added.