Powering Romania’s Energy Transition | Editorial Series by The Diplomat-Bucharest
“Structurally, Romania benefits from one of the most balanced energy mixes in the region, with nuclear and competitive domestic gas providing low-carbon baseload. The challenge emerged when coal capacity was phased out faster than the system’s ability to replace it with sufficiently integrated alternatives, increasing balancing costs and exposure to short-term market volatility.
The positive signal is that this situation is now being addressed. Solar and wind capacity is accelerating, storage is becoming part of project design, and hybrid solutions are gaining traction. Combined with Romania’s competitive gas position, further strengthened by Neptun Deep, this creates the foundation for a more productive, resilient and economically sustainable system under the EU carbon framework,” Adrian Dobre, Country Manager Eurowind Energy Romania told The Diplomat-Bucharest.
“The most effective way authorities can support energy investors is by ensuring predictability, credibility and consistency. Capital is available, but it flows toward jurisdictions where long-term rules can be trusted.”
How do you evaluate Romania in terms of cost competitiveness versus productivity in the energy sector, amid rising EU carbon pricing?
Romania cannot currently be described as a low-cost electricity market, and it is important to acknowledge this openly. However, current price levels do not reflect a lack of resources, but rather a temporary productivity gap caused by an unbalanced pace of transition.
Structurally, Romania benefits from one of the most balanced energy mixes in the region, with nuclear and competitive domestic gas providing low-carbon baseload. The challenge emerged when coal capacity was phased out faster than the system’s ability to replace it with sufficiently integrated alternatives, increasing balancing costs and exposure to short-term market volatility.
The positive signal is that this situation is now being addressed. Solar and wind capacity is accelerating, storage is becoming part of project design, and hybrid solutions are gaining traction. Combined with Romania’s competitive gas position, further strengthened by Neptun Deep, this creates the foundation for a more productive, resilient and economically sustainable system under the EU carbon framework.
How could public authorities better support investors in energy projects?
The most effective way public authorities can support energy investors is by ensuring predictability, credibility and consistency. Capital is available, but it flows toward jurisdictions where long-term rules can be trusted.
Investors closely monitor national strategic frameworks such as the NECP and Romania’s Energy Strategy. These documents are fundamental signals of state commitment. Ambitious renewable targets have driven investment decisions, while existing support mechanisms have reinforced their credibility. If priorities evolve, changes should be communicated transparently, as trust takes years to build but can be lost very quickly.
Stable legislation, disciplined application of rules and sustained investment in grid infrastructure represent the necessary conditions for development. When complemented by clearly targeted CAPEX or OPEX support, these become sufficient conditions. From our perspective, European funds are most effective when directed toward infrastructure, while generation investments follow naturally when the framework is right.
Romania has developed one of the most competitive permitting frameworks in the region. The priority now should be consistency and proportionality in applying existing rules, and careful calibration of any structural changes to avoid unnecessary shocks to serious long-term investors.
How confident are you about Romania’s energy security outlook for 2026–2030, given geopolitical disruptions?
Romania’s energy security outlook for 2026–2030 must be assessed realistically. While the power sector benefits from a diversified mix including nuclear, gas and renewables, energy security goes beyond electricity alone.
Oil products still account for roughly a third of total energy consumption, with limited domestic coverage. This creates structural exposure to global markets, meaning international shocks inevitably propagate to Romania. Electricity represents only around one fifth of final energy use, so security cannot be addressed through power generation alone.
In this context, Romania’s strong gas position plays a critical stabilizing role. Looking forward, properly integrated renewable energy—hybrid wind, solar and storage—offers the most robust path to strengthening security over the next two to three decades. Nuclear may remain part of the broader discussion from a security-of-supply perspective, but renewables, flexibility and disciplined system planning will define resilience in the coming years.
Where do you see the biggest growth opportunities in Romania’s energy mix during this period?
The biggest growth opportunities lie in renewable energy developed in an integrated, system-oriented way. Solar and wind continue to offer strong potential, but their long-term value depends on how they are combined with complementary technologies.
Hybrid wind–solar projects supported by battery energy storage represent one of the most important growth directions. These configurations reduce volatility, improve predictability and lower balancing costs.
Battery energy storage systems are expected to see significant expansion, especially standalone BESS. These assets stabilize the grid, reduce ancillary service costs and absorb price volatility, including negative prices, becoming core system resources rather than optional add-ons.
Growth will also depend on how existing support mechanisms are implemented. Within current frameworks, allowing hybrid configurations and storage can significantly increase value per supported megawatt-hour while protecting investments from excessive imbalance costs. On a longer horizon, nuclear may remain part of the broader mix discussion, but the most scalable opportunities will come from renewables, storage and flexibility solutions.
What investment priorities will define your company’s roadmap in Romania’s energy sector over the next 3–5 years?
Eurowind Energy’s roadmap is built around scale, long-term commitment and system integration. We have set a target of 1,000 MW of operational capacity by 2030.
Romania is a core market for Eurowind, with around one third of the Group’s total investments allocated locally—approximately EUR 1 billion planned over the next three years. This reflects our ambition to further consolidate our position as a leading independent power producer in renewable energy in Romania.
We currently operate 124 MW of renewable capacity, complemented by 120 MWh of battery storage becoming operational next month. We are also in construction and pre-construction for around 400 MW of new projects, increasingly integrating storage, particularly within our PV portfolio.
Beyond this pipeline, we are in advanced development stages for over 3 GW of wind projects, alongside selective acquisition opportunities and integration of additional technologies such as Power-to-X.
What were your company’s most significant completed projects during 2024–2026?
During 2024–2026, our focus was on delivering projects that demonstrate reliability, efficiency and system integration.
A flagship example is the 69 MW Teius Solar Park, recognized by The Diplomat as Renewable Investment of the Year in 2024. The project will be strengthened next month with 120 MWh of battery storage, underlining our commitment to modern, grid-friendly investments. Teius also participated in the Aurora blackout and grid restoration exercise, demonstrating our role as a reliable system partner.
In April 2026, we inaugurated the 48 MW Pecineaga Wind Park, equipped with some of the largest and most efficient wind turbines installed in Romania. Together, these projects illustrate Eurowind’s approach: delivering high-quality assets that combine scale, efficiency and long-term system value.