Radio România Internațional

Tag: state-aid scheme

  • European money for wind and photovoltaic installations

    European money for wind and photovoltaic installations

     

     

     

    On Wednesday, the European Commission approved a 3 billion Romanian State aid scheme to support onshore wind and solar photovoltaic installations to foster the transition to a net-zero economy. The scheme was approved under the state aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, adopted by the Commission to support measures in sectors which are key to accelerate the green transition and reduce fuel dependency.

     

    The measure will be open to projects for the construction and operation of new installations for the generation of electricity from solar photovoltaic and onshore wind.

    The aid will be granted through competitive bidding procedures, before December 31, 2025.

    According to the European Commission, the scheme guarantees a minimum level of return to the beneficiaries. Moreover, the scheme is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to accelerate the green transition and facilitate the development of certain economic activities.

    Also for the transition to clean energy, the Romanian Senate has recently adopted a bill initiated by the Government that establishes the legal framework for the development of investments in the field of offshore wind energy in the Black Sea. According to the initiator, by promoting this project, Romania will maintain and strengthen its position as an important energy producer in the region and will have an active and significant role in the transition to clean energy at the level of the European Union.

     

    We recall that the Ministry of Energy, referring to the World Bank estimates, has  recently mentioned that Romania has an impressive potential for offshore wind energy, estimated at 76 GW of installed power, which indicates a favorable framework for the development of this renewable energy sector. At the European level, an analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute shows that last year, wind installations were responsible for 19% of all electricity produced in the EU, which helped the EU ensure half of its total electricity production from renewable sources.

     

    According to Reuters, in its annual report, the WindEurope association described 2023 as the year of “significant improvement” in key areas of the European wind power sector, which faced difficulties in 2022 amid high inflation, interest rate hikes and volatility on the energy market, after Russia invaded Ukraine. Last year, according to official statistics, investments in offshore wind farms in Europe rose to 30 billion euros, compared to only 0.4 billion euros in 2022.

  • The Effects of Drought in Romania

    The Effects of Drought in Romania

    The lack of
    precipitations in the past few weeks caused the Danube’s water level to drop to
    near-record lows, with the river’s discharge down to half its usual average at
    this time of the year. In Galati, in southeastern Romania, a group of sand
    islands has surfaced right in the middle of the river. In spite of these
    problems, the navigable channel has not been blocked on either sector of the
    river, the Romanian Naval Authority has announced.

    Nevertheless, on certain
    sectors traffic unfolds with difficulty. In the southern areas of Zimnicea and
    Bechet tens of ships have been stationed and they are only allowed to pass one
    at a time. The Danube’s Giurgiu and
    Drobeta Turnu Severin areas, in the south-west, are also faced with similar
    problems. Authorities have warned navigators to be cautious and use water level
    radars and thus avoid getting stranded.


    Farmers have also
    been affected by the lack of precipitations. The extreme temperatures and the
    severe drought have brought underground water down to a
    dramatically low level, which has in turn seriously damaged this year’s crops.
    The wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower yields will be much smaller than last
    year with the most difficult situation being reported in north-eastern Romania.

    Farmers have called on the Agriculture Ministry for support, asking for a state
    aid scheme that would benefit farmland owners, lessors, lessees, associations
    and administrators with sharecrop farmers’ associations, groups of producers and
    farmers’ co-operatives. The state aid must be made available immediately,
    farmers’ representatives say, for farmers to be able to resume the production
    cycle as soon as possible.

    In answer to the farmers’ demands, the Agriculture
    Minister Daniel Constantin has explained that Romania needs the European
    Commission’s approval to pay damages higher than 15,000 euros. The EC must be
    also notified in the case of smaller amounts, of up to 15,000 euros, although
    they are granted from the state budget. Experts have criticized the low pace of
    these procedures, as Romania keeps losing a significant part of its cereal
    crops.

    Things are not at all likely to improve in the coming period
    either, as meteorologists have
    announced that the heat wave, which has gripped Romania, is here to stay, with only several rain showers reported in
    isolated areas. Therefore, extreme heat and thermal discomfort is what Romania
    will be faced with in the upcoming
    period.