Publications

Leveraging the EU Cohesion Policy for a Clean Industrial Revival

December 11, 2024

Heavy industry, an engine for development The EU’s heavy industry is under enormous pressure. Across the continent, producers of steel, cement, chemicals, and other essential materials are announcing expensive transformation plans to maintain their competitiveness in a low-carbon world, while struggling to compete with cheap imports and to overcome the current sluggish demand for green products. Said transformation plans are often dependent on state-led infrastructure development – both for enabling their execution (such as carbon dioxide transport infrastructure for carbon management projects) and for creating lead markets to increase the certainty of investment payback (for example, long-term contracts for purchasing...

High-Level Roadmap for Decarbonising Cement and Lime Production in Romania

November 28, 2024

With stricter climate rules, industries that emit a lot of carbon face tighter deadlines to reduce emissions. To stay competitive, the cement and lime sectors must adopt new strategies and invest in low-carbon technologies. These changes will be costly and complex. While Romania lags behind other countries like Bulgaria and Poland in carbon capture projects, cement and lime will still be vital for Romania’s growth. This is due to the country’s planned infrastructure projects, such as new roads and buildings by 2030. Recommendations for the Next 5-10 Years To succeed, industries and the government must commit to using the best...

Planul Social pentru Climă în România: o punte între politicile climatice, energetice și sociale

November 13, 2024

Fondul Social pentru Climă (FSC) se dorește a fi un instrument care sporește eficiența și atenuează impactul asupra bunăstării ca efect al extinderii tarifării emisiilor de carbon în sectoarele clădirilor și al transportului rutier prin introducerea sistemului de comercializare a certificatelor de emisii (ETS2). FSC va ajuta gospodăriile vulnerabile și utilizatorii de mijloace de transport să reacționeze la creșterea prețurilor la combustibilii fosili prin facilitarea investițiilor în soluții cu emisii reduse de carbon. Acesta poate oferi, de asemenea, un sprijin direct temporar al veniturilor pentru a acoperi impactul inițial asupra grupurilor vulnerabile până când investițiile pe termen lung își produc...

The Social Climate Plan in Romania: bridging climate, energy and social policy

November 13, 2024

The Social Climate Fund (SCF) is meant to be a tool that increases the effectiveness and mitigates the welfare impact of the expansion of carbon pricing to buildings and road transport through the introduction of the Emissions Trading System 2 (ETS2). The SCF will help vulnerable households and transport users respond to higher fossil fuel prices by enabling investments into low-carbon solutions. It can also provide temporary direct income support to cover the initial impacts on vulnerable groups until the long-lasting investments take effect, but this is not the main support mechanism. Importantly, the SCF interventions need to primarily address...

Varianta finală a Planului Național Integrat în domeniul Energiei și Schimbărilor Climatice: obiective mai ambițioase dar lipsite de traiectorii clare.

November 6, 2024

Ministerul Energiei a transmis recent Comisiei Europene versiunea finală a Planului Național Integrat în domeniul Energiei și Schimbărilor Climatice (PNIESC), documentul-cadru prin care România își stabilește obiectivele și măsurile pentru decarbonizare, aliniate cu țintele europene pentru 2030 și cu angajamentul de a atinge neutralitatea climatică până în 2050. Publicat pentru prima oară pentru consultare la finalul anului 2018, proiectul Planului a trecut printr-o lungă serie de modificări până la varianta finală. În ultimii ani, experții EPG au participat la consultările organizate de Ministerul Energiei privind acest document cu o deosebită importanță strategică și au comunicat necesitatea unei serii de ajustări,...

The Whole-Lifecycle Approach in the Romanian Buildings Sector: Overcoming the Barriers

October 28, 2024

The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) demands EU member states to introduce measures addressing the whole-life carbon (WLC) impact of buildings, encompassing both operational emissions and embodied emissions across the production, construction, renovation, and end-of-life stages. Implementing these measures requires extensive structural transformations, posing challenges for countries that are institutionally unfamiliar with the concept, such as Romania. An effective implementation of WLC requires a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to building decarbonisation, combining technology innovation, economic strategy, and adapted legislation. Likewise, it requires collaboration and coordination between a variety of actors in the buildings sector that play key roles...

Beyond Fit-for-55: How can Romania align with the EU’s 2040 climate target?

October 24, 2024

In 2024, the EU proposed a target of reducing GHG emissions by 90% by 2040, compared to 1990 levels. This target not only secures the pathway to climate neutrality by 2050, but also gives a clear signal of what the 2030-2040 decade will look in terms of fossil fuel phase-out, cleantech development and just transition, among others. The proposed 2040 target underscores the EU’s commitment to aligning with the Paris Agreement while making significant progress towards its long-term goal of climate neutrality by 2050. To help reach the Union’s climate targets, Member States are required under the EU Governance Regulation...

Untapping Romania’s Biogas and Biomethane Potential

October 15, 2024

Biogas and biomethane will play an important role in achieving a cleaner energy mix and safeguarding the EU from external energy price fluctuations. Current projections estimate fossil gas to make up only between 2.5-6.6% of Romania’s energy demand in buildings by2050 (Energy Policy Group, 2022). Achieving the European Union’s net-zero target by 2050 requires reducing natural gas usage, and decarbonising gas where reductions are not possible. Biogas and biomethane have the technical potential to replace natural gas to a significant extent as a fuel of choice, especially for industry. The use of biogas and biomethane incurs several advantages. Notably: Nonetheless,...

Importanța achizițiilor publice ecologice în decarbonizarea industriei din România

October 14, 2024

Achizițiile publice pot crea noi oportunități pentru dezvoltarea industriei cu emisii reduse de carbon Ambițiile europene în materie de climă și mediu asumate prin Pactul Verde European responsabilizează statele europene, inclusiv operatorii industriali să își reducă în mod accelerat emisiile. Acest lucru presupune, printre altele, utilizarea de noi tehnologii inovatoare, înlocuirea combustibililor fosili cu surse curate de energie și eficientizarea consumului de resurse și energie. Transformarea fundamentală a industriei va fi, prin urmare, un proces de durată, care va necesita investiții majore din partea operatorilor industriali, dar și suport din partea statului pentru acoperirea costurilor semnificative de investiții, pentru extinderea...

Publication

Topic

Author

Year

Leveraging the EU Cohesion Policy for a Clean Industrial Revival

High-Level Roadmap for Decarbonising Cement and Lime Production in Romania

Planul Social pentru Climă în România: o punte între politicile climatice, energetice și sociale

The Social Climate Plan in Romania: bridging climate, energy and social policy

Varianta finală a Planului Național Integrat în domeniul Energiei și Schimbărilor Climatice: obiective mai ambițioase dar lipsite de traiectorii clare.

The Whole-Lifecycle Approach in the Romanian Buildings Sector: Overcoming the Barriers

Beyond Fit-for-55: How can Romania align with the EU’s 2040 climate target?

Untapping Romania’s Biogas and Biomethane Potential

Importanța achizițiilor publice ecologice în decarbonizarea industriei din România