Christina Verchere, CEO of OMV Petrom, spoke about energy efficiency, education programs, and the company’s role in Romania’s energy transition during the seventh edition of the “România Eficientă” International Forum, organized by Energy Policy Group.

“I think, as everybody knows, the cleanest and cheapest energy is the energy you do not use. And that may sound odd, coming from a company that sells energy.

“But we know that in the decarbonization agenda, this is the largest opportunity with regards to just overall decarbonization of energy. It’s how we use it more efficiently,” said Christina Verchere.

She highlighted the company’s focus on education initiatives and energy efficiency programs, particularly in schools.

“Obviously, our passion has been schools. So, five schools now, two underway. As we’ve always said, why schools? One, if you change the environment for which children are educated in, that helps to multiply effective education. And two, if you educate children on energy efficiency, one, they take it home, and two, they keep it with them for the rest of their life.”

Verchere also outlined OMV Petrom’s broader strategy in supporting the energy transition through investments in renewables and low-carbon solutions.

“Obviously, as a company, we are very focused on energy transition as well. We are investing a lot in energy transition, a lot in renewable power. This is a large component of it.”

She added that the company is also advancing decarbonization in transport and infrastructure.

“But also, the decarbonization of transportation through HVO SAF project that we have at Petrobrazi, and then the EV charging network that we have building out across our filling stations here in Romania.”

At the same time, she emphasized the continued role of natural gas in Europe’s transition pathway, pointing to OMV Petrom’s flagship offshore project.

“Of course, we do see natural gas as a key component of the decarbonization journey here in Europe, and at the heart of that is our energy project Neptun Deep.

“The project is going on track. It’s on schedule. This is important, and we look forward to seeing the first gas molecules come in 2027 here in Romania, which will be a gamechanger, not just for our companies, but also for Romania overall.

“We are really trying to make sure that we are doing our part in the decarbonization of energy, while at the same time trying to remain pragmatic at the pace, but be a driver towards it,” she concluded.

“România Eficientă” is a large-scale, privately funded national project carried out by the Energy Policy Group (EPG) in partnership with and financed by OMV Petrom. The project was launched in the summer of 2019 and consists of a nationwide program promoting energy efficiency.

“România Eficientă” aims to support Romania in achieving its 2030 targets for reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy efficiency, both through information and education campaigns and through the implementation of concrete major renovation projects in public schools across different regions of the country.