Wind power matters and is important because it puts less pressure on imports, while forecasts are also favourable for the coming days, secretary of state with the Ministry of Energy Cristian Busoi said on Thursday.

'Indeed, wind power made a big difference last night [Wednesday - editor's note]. We have good forecasts for the coming days and for this weekend as well, with an average of 500 megawatts, rising to more than 1,000 MW and falling to a minimum of 100 MW. The important thing is that [wind power - editor's note] will offset imports to a significant extent, at least today and tomorrow. At weekends, things are generally calmer and imports have been lower even during previous weekends that were quite hot. This is important because it puts even less pressure on imports. (...) At least as far as last night is concerned, things went quite well. Obviously, Unit 2 at Cernavoda was still operating last night, but imports were lower than forecast,' the secretary of state told Digi24.

Asked whether the Ministry of Energy has an estimate of the contribution of prosumers to the National Energy System, particularly during periods of crisis, Busoi explained that precise measurements cannot be made.

'It is very difficult to make forecasts. The National Energy System cannot measure this precisely. Last night, peak demand was 7,000 megawatts, around 300 MW below the consumption forecast. The National Energy Dispatcher has a consumption forecast and, obviously, takes into account all notifications concerning reductions in consumption, such as those in the area of large consumers. These 300 MW mainly represent voluntary reductions by households, in the residential sector, but not by prosumers, let me stress that!' the secretary of state said.

According to him, in the future there could be rewards not only for prosumers who have batteries and supply electricity during the evening hours, but also for all consumers who use electricity responsibly.

'This should happen [rewarding responsible consumers - editor's note]. One of the courses of action clearly set out by the Prime Minister, who is also acting Minister of Energy, is to accelerate the rollout of smart metering. As far as prosumers are concerned, this is already happening, and their consumption can be monitored precisely by the hour and even by the minute. This kind of behaviour and responsible consumption should be extended to all consumers through incentives. We have already launched a call for projects with the major distributors, funded through the Modernisation Fund. As for this type of incentive for prosumers, who can charge their batteries around midday and discharge them in the evening, reducing pressure on the National Energy System, this is a very good thing,' Cristian Busoi said.

Nuclearelectrica began preparations for the controlled shutdown of Unit 2 of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant on Thursday morning, the company announced in a press release sent to the Bucharest Stock Exchange. Unit 1 of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant was also shut down in a controlled manner and disconnected from the National Energy System on July 28 due to low water levels in the Danube.

The Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant operates Units 1 and 2, each with a capacity of 700 MWe, using natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as both moderator and coolant. With both units in operation, SNN accounts for approximately 20% of Romania's total generation from dispatchable units.

On Wednesday evening, the Ministry of Energy announced that the National Power System has several resources available to cover the production shortfall resulting from the shutdown of Unit 2 at Cernavoda, including wind generation, the Rovinari 4 power plant and hydropower generation.

The National Power System also has substantial cross-border capacity of approximately 4,000 MW, allowing electricity imports. All transmission system operators across Europe are aware of the regional energy crisis and are coordinating to ensure security of electricity supply for all power systems affected by the weather conditions, the ministry also said.

Under these circumstances, the Ministry of Energy has maintained its call for responsible electricity consumption, to reduce pressure on the system during peak hours. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Cristian Anghelache; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)