Ukraine has electricity capacity in storage and has agreed to export it to Romania, under market conditions, in order to balance our national energy system, the interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who also holds the position of interim Minister of Energy, told a Friday's press conference,

'Just as Romania, in the situation where Ukraine has had problems with electricity supply in recent years, allocated energy quotas when needed on a commercial basis, Ukraine, also on a commercial basis, under market conditions, allocates these energy quotas and, when they have capacity in storage, as is happening in this period, they agreed to practically export electricity to Romania in such a way as to balance our national energy system. These are standard procedures that apply. Transelectrica has applied them several times. Now it is a formula of reciprocity. There is a surplus of energy for a period of time in Ukraine that can be exported,' explained Bolojan.

He informed that on Friday he discussed with the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal to support Romania with production from one of the country's nuclear power plants.

'Today I discussed with the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, who also holds the energy portfolio, Mr. Shmyhal, to support us in the coming period with the production from one of the nuclear power plants of Ukraine. And in this regard, Transelectrica and Nuclearelectrica will hold discussions these days for emergency aid from Ukraine in the evening hours. And on the other markets, the Bulgaria, Greece area, we are discussing in such a way as to ensure the maximum possible need for electricity in the evening hours', said the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced on Friday, at the end of the Government meeting, that a state of alert has been declared at national level in Romania, during the month of August, as a result of the decrease in electricity production.

'We have declared a state of alert at the national level for the month of August, as a result of the decrease in electricity production due to the drought and the low flows on both rivers, but especially on the Danube River,' Bolojan said.

He recalled, in context, that this is a decrease of less than half of the Danube's flows compared to normal values during this period.

'Instead of over 4,000 cubic meters per second, we are at 1,600 cubic meters per second, with the possibility of a decrease in the coming days by another 100 cubic meters per second, so that we will reach the limit values of the Danube water flows. As a result of this state of affairs, the water level in the intake area of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant has decreased. We were put in the situation, the other day, to stop a first group [Unit 1]. The same situation is in Hungary, so both countries have reduced our nuclear energy production capacity by half,' he explained.

Bolojan added that, given the downward trend in the coming days, there is a fairly high risk that the second group of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant will also be closed.

According to the data published by Transelectrica, on Friday, at 7:35 p.m., Romania's electricity production totaled 5,245 MW, and consumption amounted to 7,065 MW, the difference of about 1,820 MW being covered by imports. AGERPRES(RO -writing by: Nicoleta Gherasi; EN - writing by: Bogdan Gabaroi)