Romania has published its draft National Allocation Plans (NAPs) for 2007 and Phase II of the EU ETS (2008-2012). The country, which is scheduled to join the EU in January 2007 along with Bulgaria, has allocated 81.317 million allowances to the 222 installations covered by the EU ETS for the first year of operation, according to reports. Romania has allocated an average 91.48 million allowances for 221 sites, rising from 84.7 million in 2008 to 97.1 million in 2012.

The allowances go some way beyond the covered installations’ combined emissions – 70.346 million tones of carbon dioxide in 2003 – taking into account expectations of a sharp increase in Romania’s emissions over the next six years.

Romania’s total CO2 emissions in 2004 were 155 million tonnes. Under the Kyoto protocol the country has a commitment to limit its emissions to 244 million tonnes over the 2008-2012 period.

The energy sector accounts for around two-thirds of the emissions allowances, being granted 56.77 million certificates for 2007. The 2007 NAP also includes a new entrants reserve of 975,000 allowances. A total of 52.6 million allowances will be set aside for new entrants between 2008-2012.

The draft Phase II NAP also proposes a joint implementation (JI) reserve of 5.35 million allowances over 2008-12, and will cap the amount of JI and clean development mechanism (CDM) credits available for compliance purposes in the EU ETS at 10%.

Under the NAPs, drawn up by the Ministry of Environment and Water Administration, eight Romanian installations are to receive more than half the certificates in 2007 and in 2008-2012: the Rovinari, Craiova, Deva, Romag-Termo and Turceni thermal power plants; the Mittal Steel Galati steelworks; the Lafarge cement works and Petrom’s Arpechim Pitesti refinery.

The draft NAPs are now out for public consultation until the end of the month, with a final version likely to be submitted to the European Commission in October, according to reports.