EPG

The #ETS2 is set to launch in 2027, directly impacting consumers and bringing benefits for the economy, energy security and the environment. EPG’s new policy paper explores what the new system could mean for Romania. #EU #carbonpricing

📖 www.epg-thinktank.org/ets2-in-roma...

Cheers to the GreenHorizon consortium: @csdbuildbridges.bsky.social, @bellonaeu.bsky.social , @fraunhoferisi.bsky.social & Wise Europa.

🔷Research & Skills: Academic initiatives are fragmented, and no coordinated strategy exists to develop the workforce needed for CM deployment. Closer collaboration between academia, industry, and government is key to building capacity.

This report was written as part of the #GreenHorizon project.

🔷Finance: No dedicated national funding instruments for CM exist, and available EU opportunities remain underused. Improved access to finance will be essential for scaling up CCS projects.

🔷Public Perception: Despite geological potential for CO₂ storage, awareness of CM and trust in institutions remain low. A national survey shows curiosity & cautious openness, with acceptance linked to transparency, safety, and local benefits.

🔷Administrative Capacity: Institutions face heavy workloads and a shortage of specialised CCS expertise, constraining their ability to design, implement, and monitor CM policies. Strengthening existing working groups could enhance coordination and decision-making.

🔷Governance & Coordination: Romania has taken initial steps towards CCS deployment, but inter-ministerial collaboration remains weak and political commitment unclear. Roles and responsibilities at regional and local levels are not well-defined, limiting coordinated action.

⚙️ What are Romania’s main capacity gaps in implementing #CM? EPG has released a report assessing RO’s institutional readiness for #CCS as part of its national decarbonisation strategy.

📘 shorturl.at/F1ttd

This policy position, authored by Mihai Constantin, draws on national papers from #RENewLand partners in Bulgaria, Hungary & Romania.

RENewLand, supported by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), works to ensure science-based designation of acceleration areas in the region.

🔋 To address these challenges, #RENewLand recommends:

- Stronger stakeholder platforms

- Transparent GIS-based planning

- Prioritisation of degraded lands

- Grid strategy alignment

- Greater local participation

🇧🇬: adopted some legal amendments but faces institutional fragmentation and data gaps.

🇭🇺: strong renewable potential but hindered by restrictive technical standards and fragmented governance.

🇷🇴: draft framework exists but still struggles with grid limitations and administrative capacity.

RAAs concentrate renewable energy in areas of low environmental sensitivity, speeding up permitting while safeguarding nature and communities.

The paper highlights both the challenges and what can be done next. 👇

🪫 Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania are still behind in deploying Renewable Acceleration Areas #RAAs. What’s holding them back, and what needs to be done?

EPG’s latest policy position provides a strategic analysis of progress, barriers, and recommendations for #BG, #HU, and #RO: shorturl.at/7eQMg

This policy position, authored by Mihai Constantin, draws on national papers from RENewLand partners in Bulgaria, Hungary & Romania.

RENewLand, supported by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), works to ensure science-based designation of acceleration areas in the region.

🔋 To address these challenges, #RENewLand recommends:

- Stronger stakeholder platforms

- Transparent GIS-based planning

- Prioritisation of degraded lands

- Grid strategy alignment

- Greater local participation

🇧🇬: adopted some legal amendments but faces institutional fragmentation and data gaps.

🇭🇺: strong renewable potential but hindered by restrictive technical standards and fragmented governance.

🇷🇴: draft framework exists but still struggles with grid limitations and administrative capacity.

EPG’s latest policy position provides a strategic analysis of progress, barriers, and recommendations for Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania.

It highlights both the challenges and what can be done next: shorturl.at/x2zwF

Questions on the future of CCUS still remain open and ripe for new research, including funding and financing models, carbon accounting of long value-chain projects, and appropriate community engagement mechanisms.

The findings reinforce that for CCUS to make a substantial contribution to the EU’s net zero targets, it needs to be:
-well-targeted;
-appropriately supported through research, development, and demonstration;
-applied through coop. between Member States, project developers, and local communities;

ConsenCUS brought forward innovations in carbon capture and utilisation, demonstrated at three industrial sites across Europe, and generated new knowledge across areas such as technology development and demonstration, systems modelling, geological storage capabilities, policy, and public perception.

🏭Where next for CCUS in Europe? As the #ConsenCUS project draws to a close, Mihnea Cătuți and Luciana Miu highlight some of the key learnings from this complex, multinational effort on the future of CCUS in 🇪🇺.

This episode of EPG Talks is available on:
🎥YT: lnkd.in/dqUnaX-u
🎧Sptfy: rb.gy/30l1on

Read the Commentary: www.epg-thinktank.org/guarantees-o...

The study highlights both opportunities & risks:
🔹Oversupply has kept GO prices too low to drive new investment
🔹GOs may play a stronger role in renewable heat & fuels, where scarcity can support higher prices
🔹Timestamping (“hourly GOs”) can boost transparency & strengthen renewable energy claims

GOs can create an extra revenue stream for renewable producers & help companies meet their ESG targets. With 🇷🇴 designing its GO scheme, there is an opportunity to strengthen the role of private financing in renewable energy development alongside public support — if the scheme is carefully designed.

New EPG Commentary on the role & potential of #GOs in 🇷🇴 and across Europe.

From Jan 2027, 🇷🇴 will begin issuing GOs for electricity, thermal generation & renewable fuels. A well-designed scheme ensures GOs deliver more than just consumer info, playing a complementary role in 🇷🇴’s energy transition.

📝 Register and get more information: consencus.eu/news/policy-...

We will present findings of the #ConsenCUS project & discuss:
⚡ How to ensure ICM supports EU climate targets and industrial competitiveness
🌐 How to achieve balanced deployment across regions
🤝 How to secure public trust & engagement
💶 What role funding & R&D should play in the next EU budget cycle

🏭EPG is hosting a webinar to explore the future #policy needs for Industrial Carbon Management #ICM in the EU! From the North Sea to the Black Sea, ICM projects are expanding, but their success will depend on clear policies and adequate funding.

🚨 Unless reforms are made, unsustainably low prices risk freezing the market, deterring investment & undermining Romania’s 2030 goal of 10 GW of new renewables.

The focus should be on projects that are financially solid and able to support the grid, not just those chasing the lowest possible price.

#Wind results tell a different story: only 60% of capacity was awarded. Many developers simply aren’t willing to take on risks under the current CfD design.

The CfD framework discourages ⬆️participation, limits energy storage integration, and may incentivise gaming behaviour in the wholesale market.