The liberalization of the Romanian gas market, on July 1, 2020, and of the electricity market, from January 1, 2021, will have beneficial effects for household consumers and will attract investors, said on Tuesday, Zoltan Nagy-Bege, vice president of the National Authority of Energy Regulation (ANRE).

“Liberalization will have beneficial effects on household consumers, even if not starting from tomorrow, on this market dominated by a small circle of suppliers. In the medium and long term, consumers will be the first to feel the beneficial effects,” the ANRE official said at Energy Strategy Summit.

The side effect will be investor confidence, he added. “Liberalizations are very clear signs of the authorities’ intentions and I guarantee you that after liberalization, investors’ interest in the Romanian natural gas market or electricity market will increase. Because this is what investors are looking for: free trading conditions, freedom to operate in the activity they know best,” Bege added.

He pointed out that Romania needs investments in the energy production sector, especially in natural gas, to replace the current coal-fired power plants, which will no longer be able to meet environmental conditions.

From July 1, the Romanian gas market will be completely liberalized, and the regulated tariffs will be eliminated as the price will be set freely between the supplier and the consumer, according to Agerpres.

The electricity market will be liberalized on January 1, 2021.