Photo by COP28 / Neville Hopwood
Reporting from the COP28 summit in Dubai, Marta Kąkol, Global Politics Editor, shares insights from her interview with the Romanian Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja. The interview unfolded against the backdrop of the pivotal climate conference in early December 2023, where Minister Burduja outlined Romania’s forward-looking strategies for a sustainable energy framework. A key member of the social-conservative National Liberal Party, Minister Burduja has previously served as the Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digitalization.
Romania’s energy landscape is on the brink of a transformation, as the nation is poised to abandon coal in favour of bolstering its energy security through a diverse blend of resources. The country has historically depended on its rich oil, gas, and coal reserves, complemented by hydroelectric power. In a striking move, Minister Burduja is championing the adoption of nuclear energy, including pioneering small modular reactors (SMRs), and is placing a significant focus on amplifying LNG production and renewable sources. This shift aims to curtail Romania’s reliance on energy imports, particularly oil and gas from Russia.
By the year 2027, projections place Romania at the forefront of European gas production, tapping into the extensive offshore reserves in the Black Sea. The long-term vision sets 2032 as the milestone for a complete cessation of coal exploitation. Echoing this commitment at COP28, Romania joined forces with global leaders from the United States, Japan, Canada, Poland, South Korea, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom, among over twenty nations, to pledge a tripling of nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
Marta Kąkol (OPR): Minister Burduja, thank you for joining me today. Let us first dive into the reasons behind your presence here at COP28. How do you see Romanian’s role in the global efforts to combat climate change, especially in the context of this global climate conference?
Sebastian Burduja (SB): Romania is a leader in the region with regards to the energy sector for multiple reasons. I think we are blessed with a very diverse energy mix. We have 60% of Europe’s water resources and between 35 and 45% of our energy mix comes from hydroelectric power. We also have a lot of gas. In 2027, we are scheduled to be the largest gas producer in Europe through the gas in the Black Sea. The final investment decision on Neptun Deep, an offshore gas project covering the largest perimeter and the largest reserve of gas in the Black Sea, was taken this year. The project seems to be on track, and we are excited about it. We have also had a very high-performing nuclear program since the 1970s. Currently, we have two large-scale reactors in operation, unlike any other country in our region. Our nuclear program is based on Western technology from Canada.
OPR: As opposed to Russian technology?
SB: Correct. Most of the countries in our region still depend upon it. We also have a huge wind and solar potential. Studies show that we have the largest potential on solar in the South-East Europe. This is the case for wind as well. We are advancing rapidly with onshore wind. We obtain about 3000 megawatts from onshore wind, but also offshore wind in the Black Sea. We are getting ready to adopt a new law for governing offshore wind. By 2032, we hope to see the first windmills in the Black Sea. So, my key messages are that we are here at COP28 to help to serve as a security pillar in the region and replace dependency on Russian resources, especially Russian gas. Also, we want to stabilize the grid in our region thanks to our hydro capacities, nuclear energy, as well as an increasing share of renewables.
OPR: Let’s zoom in on your nuclear capacity. Recently, the European Commission officially classified some investments in nuclear energy and gas as investments in clean energy sources. During day 2 of COP28, Romania, among many other countries, signed the declaration on tripling nuclear energy capacity by 2050. How is this going to influence the energy mix in Romania in the upcoming years?
SB: We are very ambitious on nuclear because it is a perfect complement to renewable energy, especially solar and wind. What we keep arguing is that you cannot phase out coal and eventually gas, which is only a transition fuel, and not resort to a base load source of production [such as nuclear, hydro or geothermal power to sustain energy demand – OPR]. Intermittent production is good, but it is not fully reliable at night or when there’s no wind or sun. For our industry, especially for the security of our supply, base load production is critical. That’s why we are building two additional large-scale reactors next to the ones we already have in operation. They will also be based on the same Canadian technology that has been proven very reliable and well-performing. The two units that are currently in operation find themselves on the global podium in terms of performance safety out of 440 reactors.
Additionally, we have the program on small module reactors. We evaluated multiple sites and have chosen new American technology that we are very confident about. Despite commercial setbacks in the US with the Idaho project, we believe that we can further accelerate the Romania project, leveraging some of those components that were initially designed for us and some that were built or are under development for the Idaho project. Overall, I think that a mix of large-scale and small modular reactors [SMRs – OPR] will be a very good recipe for success in the region. And when it comes to SMRs, we are basically repurposing a former coal base plant. There are dozens of such sites around the region, even in Romania. So, if successful and we believe it will be, it is going to serve as an example for many other countries.
OPR: So, you have an ambitious strategy as well as the technology and innovations at hand, but do you have the skills within your workforce to drive this transition? In the opening statement at COP28, the president of Romania talked about the importance of education and building skills capacity in the green jobs sector. What is the Romanian plan to achieve this?
SB: You can have the technology, as you rightfully note, and the resources as well as the potential, but if you don’t have the experts to run the machines, then it’s all for nothing. In terms of high skilled labour, for instance, nuclear experts, we have a long-standing tradition in training them. Our national nuclear company has hired over 500 experts only this year and they are constantly undergoing trainings. We are also already training people for the future SMRs. We have a simulator at the Polytechnic University in Bucharest, which is essentially a command room that serves as a functional simulator. The students are getting trained as we speak. They are not just from Romania. We are open to students from other countries as well to come and see how to operate the SMRs. I fully agree with our president that we need to start educating young people very early on, on climate, energy solutions and new technologies. Our energy solutions are not going to work unless we win the battle for the hearts of average citizens. They need to support the process and not get scared by the novelty of some of these technologies. They need to trust them.
OPR: You are obviously very proud of the green innovations and technologies in Romania. Would you say that Romania is a leader in the Central Eastern European region and Southern Europe, and on which technologies specifically?
SB: As a former Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digitalization, this is a crucial topic for me. Even on nuclear energy, we are not just importing technology from Canada, but we are also developing our own. There is a large European-level project based in Romania called ALFRED. It is an Advanced Lead-cooled Fast Reactor European Demonstrator of fourth generation that is currently under development. It holds a lot of promise for the future. It is also one of the very few nuclear projects that benefits from EU funding. Typically, Europe has been very sceptical of funding nuclear research and nuclear projects. So, this is a sign of hope for future investment. If it is successful, and I think it is going to be, it will provide an added level of credibility for Europe to invest in nuclear.
OPR: I know you have to go back to your busy COP28 schedule and are rushing to another meeting, so I would like to conclude our conversation with a final question. What are your hopes for COP 28 and what you want to achieve? Also, looking beyond COP28, what long-term objectives does Romania envision for the future of its climate and energy-related policy?
SB: The fact that humanity recognizes at the highest decision-making level that we are facing a problem that could end life on this planet is important in itself. Moreover, the fact that there are over 90,000 people here, more than ever before, is a recognition of the stakes involved. However, it will not be enough to just gather once a year and set ambitious targets. There is a lot of work that has to go behind each and every step. And it is tempting for politicians to come out and take a couple of nice photos and put out a press statement [laughs]. I do it too. But the real work begins after this, and making sure that these projects happen and that they happen on time and within budget is important. It is key that especially young people understand our environmental impact, new technologies and inner workings of the energy sector. They are all taking part in this. So, I’m very glad and proud to see a lot of young people here.