PVTIME – Romania’s leading electricity supplier and distributor, Electrica S.A., has officially started the permit application process for 15 energy storage system projects, with a total capacity of around 1GWh.
These projects are a key part of Electrica’s 2030 strategy, and will boost grid flexibility and facilitate the integration of renewable energy. The projects will be built on land owned by the company and distributed across 15 different locations. This will improve operational resilience and strengthen the ability to respond dynamically to fluctuations in national electricity consumption and generation.
Electrica’s CEO, Alexandru Chirița, said that building the 1GWh storage infrastructure was a strategic priority for the company to become a leader in the energy transition. He added that this was not just about technology or capacity, but about redefining how Romania manages energy security over the next several decades.
Meanwhile, Romania’s National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) announced that double taxation on electricity fed back into the grid from storage systems would be removed. According to the new regulation, this electricity will be exempt from transmission, distribution and system service fees, as well as green certificate fees. Grid operators must keep clear records and report stored electricity volumes to ensure transparency, and these rules apply to all grid operators, regardless of whether they hold concessions. However, the exemption only covers electricity fed back into the grid after storage; electricity used by the storage systems themselves, including technical losses, will still attract grid fees.
George Niculescu, ANRE’s president, said that a balanced and reliable power system could not be built if it were regulated by rules that punished innovation. He added that the new regulation clearly signals to investors that Romania supports energy storage, emphasising that this is not merely a technical choice, but a core pillar of the energy transition.
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