George Niculescu, President of the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE), acknowledged the challenge of balancing investor expectations with consumer affordability in Romania’s energy market.
“It’s a bit tricky to keep a balance between what investors need” Niculescu stated, at the conference “International Approach: Catalyzing Romania’s energy future”, organised by Energynomics in London. “I heard about the predictability, the stability, and the fact that we need to provide a safe and healthy environment for investments. Also, we have to look at what the consumers can afford to pay for electricity and natural gas. And this is why I was saying it’s a bit tricky, because consumers need affordable, clean, and secure access to energy. And this is our role—to maintain the balance between what the investors need and what the consumers are willing to pay, hoping that the framework we are providing will increase investments in the renewable sector,” Niculescu explained.
In 2024, ANRE granted authorizations for over 6,000 MW of renewable energy projects, with 450 MW receiving licenses. Strategic projects like the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania-Hungary Green Energy Corridor are further strengthening Romania’s role in the regional energy market. This corridor will require both tariffs and licenses to be operational, responsibilities that fall under ANRE’s purview.
Romania is also pioneering offshore wind energy in the Black Sea, having adopted a law in June 2024 to establish new economic activities in the area. The legislation includes a support scheme for 3 GW of offshore wind projects, which is expected to attract significant investor interest. Battery storage is another priority, with plans for expanded storage capacity in 2025 to help stabilize energy prices during peak demand periods.
Answering a question from the audience, he added that Romania would modernize wind turbines and, where technically feasible, upgrade them, and some investors have already begun refurbishing their solar power plants, replacing inverters and photovoltaic panels with more advanced technology. “If we can recycle plastic, if we can recycle clothes, we can recycle glass, aluminum, and micro conductors. I’m not an engineer, but what is a PV panel? It’s glass, it’s aluminum, it has micro components. Glass—we can reuse it. Aluminum as well. Micro conductors as well. So, I think we will not have a problem in this respect,” Niculescu explained.
He also emphasized the growing importance of prosumers, who generate their own electricity near their consumption points. The increasing number of prosumers and green energy investments will require significant expansion of distribution grids and transport networks. ANRE has approved new tariffs for distribution companies to support this expansion, aiming to encourage further investments in energy infrastructure.
The conference “International Approach: Catalyzing Romania’s energy future” was organised by Energynomics in London with the support of our partners AJ Brand, Elektra Renewable Support, Adrem Asset Management, Enexus, Nofar Energy, Parapet, Wiren.