Rețele Electrice România, the electricity distribution operator for Muntenia Sud, Banat and Dobrogea, has installed more than 2 million smart meters. Launched in 2015 under a plan approved by ANRE, the rollout continues in 2026 with about 178,000 additional new-generation meters that communicate through a hybrid system combining PLC and radio-frequency (RF) technology and is set to bring coverage to 67% by year-end (2.164 million meters out of about 3.2 million consumption points across the three regions). Mihai Stancu, Head of Customer Engagement at Rețele Electrice România, spoke with The Diplomat-Bucharest about what this means in practice for consumers: how their data stays protected, and how artificial intelligence is already starting to play a role in customer service.
What is a smart meter and how does it differ from a classic meter?
A smart meter is a measuring device from a modern generation that automatically and securely transmits energy consumption to the distributor without the need to manually read the index. Unlike a classic meter, it records consumption on hourly intervals, allows billing on real consumption and shortens the time to solve technical and commercial operations, many of which can be carried out remotely, without a home visit.
Data communication is done securely, through PLC (power-line communication) technology, and the new generation of meters, introduced from 2026, uses a hybrid system, which combines PLC with radio-frequency (RF) transmission, for more stable communication. Integrated into an intelligent metering system, the meter communicates directly with us, the distributor and the customer, who can track their consumption in the online account.
How many smart meters has Reţele Electrice România installed and what is the target for the coming years?
Reţele Electrice România has already exceeded the threshold of 2 million smart meters installed, the largest volume implemented by a distribution operator in Romania. In 2026, the company will install approximately 178,000 new generation meters, so that the goal for the end of this year is a coverage of 67%, with a total of 2.164 million meters, out of the approximately 3.2 million consumption places in Muntenia Sud, Banat and Dobrogea. The program, started in 2015, continues according to the plan approved by ANRE.
What are the concrete benefits of the smart meter for the consumer?
The smart meter brings the customer several direct benefits. The first is billing on the actual consumption measured, instead of an estimate, because the index is transmitted automatically and without errors. The second is the monitoring of their own consumption by days and time intervals, directly from the online account, which helps the customer to understand their consumption behavior and reduce the bill. The meter allows the use of several tariff types and opens access to differentiated offers on time slots. Moreover, it provides the consumption data necessary for contracts with dynamic prices, correlated with the evolution of the energy market, with hourly or even 15-minute recording. Thus, the customer can benefit from lower prices in the intervals when energy is cheap and can move his consumption to those periods.
For customers who become prosumers, the smart meter is already ready: it measures both the energy consumed from the grid and the energy produced and delivered to the grid, without the need for a new meter replacement when installing the photovoltaic panels. This simplifies and speeds up the connection process as a prosumer. In addition, switching providers, connections and disconnections can be done remotely, and reconnecting after an incident is faster. The replacement of the old meter with a smart one is done at no additional cost to the customer, according to ANRE regulations.
How does the digitalization of the grid help reduce power outages?
The digitalization of the network shortens the time a customer is left without power. Through the remote control points, of which we have installed 575 in 2025 alone, we monitor and control the network remotely, in real time. When a defect occurs, we can locate and isolate it in a few minutes, instead of a few hours, and some interventions are done remotely. The effect can be seen in the quality indicators: the average duration of unplanned outages per customer (SAIDI) reached an average of 79.39 minutes in 2025 for the three regions of the Rețele Electrice România (Muntenia Sud, Banat and Dobrogea), compared to about 700-800 minutes in 2005.
How are customer consumption data collected through smart meters protected?
Consumption data is transmitted securely, through PLC technology on the electrical wire, and to the new generation of meters through a hybrid system, which combines PLC with radio-frequency (RF). The meter communicates via a data concentrator to the distributor’s central system, in accordance with European and national data protection rules.
Consumption data is only accessible to the consumer and his supplier. Any sharing to another supplier is made exclusively at the consumer’s initiative, from his or her online account, through the “Delegation of POD Potential Supplier” service, which gives temporary access to the consumption history, for 7 calendar days.
How does artificial intelligence and smart meter data help better customer and supplier service?
Artificial intelligence and data from smart meters help us provide better service to both customers and suppliers. At the end of 2024, we put into operation an IT platform through which all energy suppliers receive daily consumption data from customers with smart meters from the 11 counties in our area, together with load curves, for more accurate forecasts and more suitable offers. In 2025, the average monthly number of remote readings was around 2 million, which means fewer trips and a smaller carbon footprint.
For customers, we are already using artificial intelligence in the connection process, in document analysis and in estimating the average connection time, and the direction we are going is to integrate artificial intelligence into the information flow, so that each customer receives real-time details about their request.
What does a prosumer need to do to connect to the grid and how does smart metering help?
A prosumer is a customer who produces energy, usually with photovoltaic panels, and can deliver it to the grid. For the connection, he can submit the application and the necessary documents online to Rețele Electrice România, receive the technical approval for the connection, depending on the requested power, and, after installing the installation, the prosumer certificate.
This is where the smart meter plays an essential role: with the bidirectional measurement function, it records the energy delivered to the grid and the energy absorbed from the grid separately. Thus, the prosumer knows exactly when he consumes from the grid and when he uses the renewable energy that he produces himself.