“Transformation is the watchword these days. We have transformed our lives, the way we work, the way we socialize. The digital transformation also targets the energy sector.

It is a transformation brought about by the EU’s ambitions to be a global leader in the fight against climate change. Digital transformation is a natural phenomenon. The monopoly character of the energy system and other utilities prevents the acceleration of digitalization in these sectors.

We have over 4.5 million household consumers in Romania who have a monthly consumption below 80 kWh. For these consumers, the annual bill does not exceed 500 RON. We have another 3 million consumers whose monthly consumption does not exceed the value of 200 kWh, and the annual bill is around 1000 RON. Over 80% of Romanian consumers have a relatively low consumption, which does not justify the implementation of smart meters,” Zoltan Nagy-Bege, Vice-president, The Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) said during Digital Transformation in Energy & Utilities, organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest.

“This year we will start discussions on the next regulatory period, which will start in 2024. We need to see what the priorities are so as to encourage investment in digitalisation.

We want to create a database with all consumers in Romania, in partnership with companies, to simplify the process of changing suppliers. Until June next year, when the project must be completed, our comparators will be integrated in the platform. The main purpose is the management of electricity and gas distribution contracts. Starting from our comparators, consumers will be able to opt for switching suppliers. Absolutely all energy consumers in Romania will be integrated in this database.”

The full recording of the conference can be found here.