Romania’s National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) has approved the Electricity Transmission Network Development Plan for 2026–2035 (PDRET), a strategic document outlining Transelectrica’s investment priorities for the country’s electricity transmission infrastructure over the next decade.

The plan includes 117 investment projects, of which 25 are entirely new objectives, covering the modernization of power lines and substations, completion of the national 400 kV ring, increased transmission and interconnection capacity, and the digitalization of the electricity grid.

“We have approved a plan that is not merely a list of investments, but a commitment to prepare Romania’s transmission network for the energy economy of the next decade. The objectives are more renewable generation, more storage and fewer bottlenecks in the system. Particular attention has been paid to interconnections, where we have required Transelectrica to accelerate unfinished projects,” said George Niculescu, President of ANRE.

Niculescu stressed that, although Romania has already exceeded the European interconnection target, recent developments have demonstrated the importance of having sufficient cross-border capacity, particularly during periods when the electricity system requires temporarily higher imports.

“Romania has exceeded the European target for the degree of interconnection, but recent lessons have shown us how important interconnection capacity is in overcoming challenging periods for the national electricity system, such as those when a temporarily higher volume of electricity imports is needed. Therefore, the objective should not be limited to meeting the EU target, but to making as much cross-border capacity as possible available,” he added.

Interconnection exceeds EU target, but cross-border capacity remains a challenge

Romania’s electricity interconnection level reached 18.5% in 2024, above the European Union’s 15% target. However, the 2025 monitoring report shows that the targets for increasing the minimum available capacity for cross-border electricity trade — up to 70% of the capacity of critical network elements — have not been fully achieved at the borders with Hungary and Bulgaria.

As a result, through its decision approving the PDRET, ANRE has required Transelectrica to establish an acceleration programme for unfinished projects that are included both in the development plan and in the Action Plan for Increasing Cross-Border Capacity.

Transelectrica must submit the programme within 30 days, after which ANRE will monitor its implementation on a quarterly basis. The programme will also assess the contribution of modern technologies, including dynamic line rating (DLR) and high-temperature low-sag conductors (HTLS), to increasing the capacity available for cross-border electricity trading.

The approval of the PDRET marks the transition from national and European strategic objectives to a concrete portfolio of investments, whose implementation will be monitored by ANRE.

What the PDRET means in practice

The 2026–2035 plan is designed to:

• connect and integrate new generation and energy storage capacities;
• enable electricity to be transported from areas rich in renewable resources to major consumption centres;
• reduce grid congestion;
• provide greater flexibility for generators, storage facilities and consumers;
• strengthen the safety and resilience of Romania’s electricity transmission network;
• deepen Romania’s integration into the European electricity market; and
• provide greater predictability for investors and industrial consumers.

The PDRET 2026–2035 translates into concrete projects Romania’s commitments under the European Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP), Projects of Common and Mutual Interest (PCI/PMI), as well as the National Energy Strategy and the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIESC).

Eight projects included in the plan, comprising a total of 25 works, are Projects of Common and Mutual Interest developed as part of coordinated planning by ENTSO-E.

Among these are the Romania–Hungary interconnection project (PCI 2.5) and the CARMEN smart grid project (PCI 12.2), which introduces advanced technologies for monitoring, automation and control of electricity flows.

The new development plan is therefore expected to play a key role in preparing Romania’s transmission grid for the continued expansion of renewable energy, increased storage capacity and deeper integration with the European electricity market over the coming decade.