Romania should lower its stake in two nuclear reactor projects at its
power plant in Cernavoda to encourage private investors and make the sector more
competitive, the economy minister said on Thursday.
The European Union state has a 51 percent stake in a deal to build two
more reactors by around 2016 in a partnership with major power firms. The
required investment is estimated at around 4 billion euros.
However analysts have said Romania, hit by a deep recession last year,
would struggle to secure the funds without outside investment.
"The (official) decision has not been made yet, but I would like to
lower Romania's stake in the third and fourth nuclear reactors ... to a minority
one to raise competitiveness," Economy Minister Adriean Videanu
said.
His comments reflect the centrist coalition government's new drive to
attract investors to its cash-strapped power production sector by listing
minority stakes and striking public-private partnerships to build new generation
facilities.
Videanu also said that investor interest in building wind energy in
Romania had leapt to unrealistic levels. Installation capacity demand totalled
23,000 mega watts, he said.
"Obviously, Romania will never be able to develop such a large
capacity," Videanu said. "We will fully support the real investors but we will
not encourage speculators ... looking to sell their wind projects to real
investors."
The head of state-owned hydro power plant Hidroelectrica estimated
Romania could see up to 2,000 megawatts of new generation over the next 3 to 5
years, in wind energy and gas- and hydro-fired plants.