During the videoconference Management of the crisis situation, organized by Ziarul Bursa, Corneliu Bodea spoke about the health crisis, the crisis in the energy field and how it can be overcome.
The energy system has the capacity to overcome this period, with all the inconsistencies created by legislative measures that seem to have nothing to do with the real problem, says Corneliu Bodea, president of the Romanian Energy Center (CRE). He pointed out that during this period there are steep decreases in energy consumption, of about 17%, compared to the same period last year.
The CRE president also said that the energy system has shown that it can withstand such pressure, because the steep drop in consumption can also generate pressure on it and, also, in these conditions of social distancing, all the people in charge of maintenance have behaved exemplary.
Corneliu Bodea said: “The health crisis we are going through and which has already imposed social distancing and thus a general decrease in consumption, will be overcome, but from the point of view of the energy system we must focus on what is happening in the supplier-producer relationship. I think this is the most sensitive point, because suppliers are witnessing a decrease in quantities, but at the same time we know very well that the legislation in Romania is inflexible in terms of purchase contracts and creates this tension between suppliers and producers.”
Regarding the measures taken by the authorities during this period amid the coronavirus pandemic, the CRE president confessed that he was upset by some of them.
“I did not understand the extent to which energy transactions were blocked and we can understand that in a period of emergency situation price aberrations could have occurred, but I am sure that the actors who would have been involved would have known how to correct or are responsible for what they offer or accept. Also, the price freeze was a measure that I did not understand. I also believe that this populist measure aimed at deferring payment for a long period of time by consumers is likely to add problems to a system in which I find that the entire value chain is affected by this disappearance of value, because we are talking about money, about an enormous amount that disappears through this decrease in consumption and that will somehow have to be absorbed throughout the chain,” said Corneliu Bodea.
He also said that in the latest decree that extends the state of emergency there is again a mention that he does not understand and which refers to the fact that the price decreases that are found on the market, on OPCOM, are reflected in the final price.
“I hope I don’t understand and I miss something. I wonder what was the usefulness of this provision because we still have 30 days, this amount of energy has probably been contracted for a long time, at certain prices, I don’t know how it would be corrected, maybe in the future…”, added Corneliu Bodea.
He also said that CRE has launched an initiative through which, together with 12 associations covering the entire spectrum – producers, transporters, distributors, solution providers, gas, electricity – it will draw up a list of measures that it proposes for the coming period.
“By the end of the week we hope to reach a document to put on the Government’s table, Minister Virgil Popescu is already waiting with interest for this document,” Corneliu Bodea added.
The CRE president highlighted the fact that in such situations we realize the importance of digitalization.
“One of the first conclusions we reached is the one related to the importance of digitalization. It would have been much better if the national energy system had had a high level of digitalization, we would have had smart metering implemented in a much higher proportion than today, we would have had SCADA solutions, remote management, asset management and all kinds of applications that help the energy system to be managed in an efficient way without the direct involvement of people in the field,” explained Corneliu Bodea.
In addition, he believes that the current crisis brings a delay in plans aimed at decarbonization and in those aimed at investments in fossil fuel.
“There are these two trends that are contradictory – that of continuing the Green Deal at the same speed and that of slowing down this initiative due to lack of funds. All countries have been hit hard by this crisis and have probably consumed enormous amounts of money to support their economies. I think there will be fewer resources to accelerate this decarbonization program. It is not a good thing, I am sure that in the end we will end up realigning ourselves with what we set out to do because the risk of climate change is higher than that of a pandemic,” Corneliu Bodea stressed.
The CRE president also said that, for the moment, for a few years, Romania still has time, it still has a chance that it must take advantage of to invest in the exploitation of the resources of the Black Sea and to generate investments.
“Of course, the main question will be with what money, because in a market where low consumption and low energy prices are announced, it is obvious to everyone that it will be a major problem to ensure sources of financing. This is the role of the state, that’s how I see it. I think that the state will have to intervene here through national programs, in one way or another, to ensure investments during this period,” Corneliu Bodea added.
Article published on www.bursa.ro
