Deputies adopted the offshore wind law, perimeters approval comes next

  Romania entered the straight line towards the production of wind energy off the Black Sea, and at the pace imposed by the bill adopted in the Chamber of Deputies, in the year 2032 we will be able to have the first MW of wind energy produced offshore in the National Energy System, said the minister Energy, Sebastian Burduja.   “Romania entered the straight line towards the production of wind energy off the Black Sea. At the pace imposed by the draft law, in 2032 we will be able to have the first MW of wind energy produced offshore in the National Energy System. At the same time, the production of offshore wind energy it will allow us to consolidate the Romanian industry through the domestic production of green hydrogen and value-added products based on green ammonia. World Bank data show us that Romania has an offshore wind potential of 76 GW of installed power, being a favorable environment for the development of this type of renewable energy . Through this project, Romania is making progress in achieving the goals of transition and decarbonization of the energy system, as well as in consolidating its status as a regional leader in the field of energy. The adoption of this draft law is a concrete step to promote the vision that we announced since the first day of my mandate: safe, cheap and green energy for all Romanian citizens,” said Burduja, in a press release by the relevant ministry.   The Chamber of Deputies, as a decision-making chamber, adopted on Tuesday, in plenary, one of the most important energy bills of recent years, namely the Offshore Wind Energy Law. The normative act was initiated by the Ministry of Energy.   “Through the draft law voted today, Romania has taken an important step in the direction of promoting renewable energy in our country. The adoption of a legislative framework for starting the exploitation of Romania’s offshore wind resources is a vital step in ensuring Romania’s energy independence and resilience, being, at the same time, and an assumption made by our country in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. For the operationalization of investments in offshore wind energy, the Ministry of Energy will start, within 3 months from the entry into force of the law, a specialized study based on which the concession procedure and the activities of exploration, construction of offshore wind power plants and their exploitation will be prepared. Among other things, the study will determine the maritime perimeters that the Ministry of Energy will concession, taking into account: their wind potential, evacuation possibilities of offshore wind electricity, as well as the restrictions imposed by the Maritime Space Development Plan, including those regarding the protection of biodiversity and the environment,” the Ministry of Energy press release states.   According to the cited source, based on the study, by March 31, 2025, the Government will approve the offshore wind perimeters, and by June 30, 2025, the subsequent acts for implementing the law, after which the Ministry of Energy will initiate a competitive procedure for awarding concession contracts. Until the end of June 2025, the Government will also adopt the amount of the royalty that the concessionaires will pay to the Romanian state, this being determined based on the results of the study carried out by the Ministry of Energy.   As a result of this study, the perimeters that will be put out for concession will already be validated as being compliant for the exploitation of offshore wind energy, respectively: they are located in an area with high wind potential; the location of the perimeter allows the evacuation of electricity; does not affect marine biodiversity, including bird flyways; the positioning of the perimeters does not interact with other economic or military activities in the Romanian area of the Black Sea.