“In recent years, we have witnessed a spectacular change in the electricity market. We are in full energy transition and in a period of recovery, after 2022 was the year of a perfect storm. After the health crisis, the economic crisis, and the energy crisis, we also had a geopolitical crisis. All these crises influenced us and slowed down the pace of implementing new technologies,” Mihaela Rodica Suciu, General Manager, Distributie Energie Electrica Romania (DEER) said during Energy CEO Forum organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest.

“2022 was a year of survival. How do we get through this complicated period? Distributie Energie Electrica Romania has an investment program of over 100 million euros every year.

The costs of modernizing the networks and the costs of the works that we have in the investment plan are reflected in the final electricity distribution tariff, so we had to find solutions, to turn to European financing.

We are implementing projects worth 50 million euros that will be completed in 2023. We proposed to attract financing of 300 million euros through the Modernization Fund. We have submitted projects to PNRR, and we are attentive to all the financing opportunities that are available for distribution operators.

We must prepare our electricity grids for the “injections” of green energy.

In addition to the cash flow deficit, we are also facing a deficit of specialized labor force. We have a big problem with the lack of specialists in the energy market. At DEER we have a limited number of specialists who are involved in the company’s projects that we will complete this year.”