site.btaUPDATED Bulgaria, Romania Devising Framework for Joint Energy Projects
The energy ministries of Bulgaria and Romania are working on a general framework for joint energy projects, Bulgarian Deputy Energy Minister Nikolai Nikolov said in Bucharest on Tuesday. He was speaking at Energy Week Black Sea, an international conference on investing in renewable energy sources, which is underway on February 6 and 7.
Nikolov said: "We are cooperating very well with Romania. We have been working hard with our Romanian colleagues over the last six months to create a framework for projects." He noted that he believes in the potential of offshore wind power projects combined with the potential of the Black Sea.
"We can make the region even more appealing to investors," the deputy energy minister argued. He said the job of national governments is to create a favourable environment for investments.
He went on to say: "Two weeks ago we moved a bill in Bulgaria on the development of wind energy. It is in Parliament now, and we believe it will pass. But we need to work with the public, because we hear voices say that this will be damaging to Bulgarian tourism. People worry that this will harm the potential for tourism. Fishermen say this will reduce their catch. NGOs are anxious that this will harm biodiversity in the Black Sea. This is a new matter for our region, for Bulgaria and Romania. We have to do our homework."
At the end of his address, Nikolov expressed hope that the Black Sea can become a regional energy hub.
In an interview for BTA later on Tuesday, Nikolov said that on February 6 Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece will apply together for a cross-border project within the EU. If the project is recognized as such by the Union, the three countries can rely on funding.
/RY/
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