Authorities are currently working on a programme worth more than 30 billion US dollars in direct investments in electricity generation capacity, and the aim is for the maximum added value from these projects to be directed towards artificial intelligence and technology, Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan said on Thursday at the Digital Innovation Summit Bucharest 2026 (DISB 2026).
'I am very pleased that we are now working on a programme of over 30 billion US dollars in direct investments in electricity generation capacity, ranging from medium-sized modular reactors, for which we had the first concept a month ago and for which we have already taken the final investment decision - an SMR at Doicesti using American technology. We are the first in Europe to do this. We already have experience with American and Canadian nuclear technology at Cernavoda, where we produce 20% of Romania's energy capacity, and we can double it,' Bogdan Ivan said.
He stressed that in order for technological projects to function, energy is required at a competitive price, capable of supporting 'the transformation of the future'.
'They need baseload energy, they need energy at a competitive price, and they need energy capable of supporting the transformation of the future. For this reason, if we look at the most developed countries in the world, we see a very clear strategy. We invest in AI, we invest in technology - which is clearly indispensable - because countries that today believe themselves to be extremely important will not remain as important in five or ten years without it. At the same time, we invest in energy - nuclear energy and gas-based energy, which can ensure stability for the next 30 years,' the Energy Minister explained.
In his view, the next stage for Romania will be the transition from being a consumer of technology to becoming a designer of technology, producing technology domestically and exporting it to other countries.
'I strongly believe that the next stage for Romania will be this transition - from technology consumers to technology designers, where we produce technology in Romania and export it to other countries, in direct partnership with our friends. I also strongly believe that Romania can play a more active role at European level in deregulation, in making certain rules more flexible that still keep us constrained,' the Energy Minister added.
The National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics - ICI Bucharest organised a new edition of the international event Digital Innovation Summit Bucharest 2026 (DISB 2026) between 10 and 12 March 2026 at the Palace of Parliament. The AGERPRES National News Agency is one of the media partners of the event.
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