Huge electricity consumption last week amid heatwave

  The national consumption of electricity surpassed, last week, even 8,000 MW at some moments, as a result of high temperatures, which led to the massive use of air conditioning. The energy sources which saved us from massive power cuts were the photovoltaic ones during the day and the hydro ones during the night. Moreover, we needed electricity imports every day to get through the heatwave.   The Transelectrica data showed that the consumption peak of last week was 8,047 MW, registered on Friday at 21:26.Even during the weekend, the maximum consumption was over 7,000 MW.   These high values of consumption are rather characteristic for a winter day. The instant consumption record on a summer day was 8,800 MW reached in July 2021. Last week, in the evening peak, hydro was the first energy source used to cover domestic consumption - over 2,000 MW. By contrast, during the day, photovoltaics were the main source, with over 1,500 MW at midday (this figure is valid only for the large PV parks reflected in Transelectrica's statistics).   And the nuclear power plant at Cernavoda provided a steady 1,300 MW in the band throughout last week.   Similarly, every day Romania imported electricity to insure domestic consumption.   In addition to the large photovoltaic parks dispatchable by Transelectrica, prosumers have also generated 1,300 MW, as much as the Cernavoda power plant, according to estimates by the Association of Energy Prosumers  and Electricity Communities in Romania.   In the summer season, under drought conditions, Romania cannot provide the necessary energy from its own resources when consumption reaches 7,000 MW. Hidroelectrica, considered the "pearl in the crown" of the national energy system, can cover on a dry weekend day only 13% of the necessary consumption - i.e. a maximum of 800 MW.   Transelectrica's official statistics do not accurately reflect the situation, as they do not include the energy delivered directly into the local grids by the approximately 230,000 prosumers existing in Romania in mid-2025, with a total installed capacity of 2,700 MW. We estimate the surplus injected at lunchtime by prosumers to be around 1,300 MW, i.e. exactly as much as the nuclear power plant at Cernavoda," reads a statement from the organization.   In 2024, the prosumers covered 10% of the household consumption in Romania and in 2025 this share could grow to 20%.    ‘The electricity produced and injected in the local networks by prosumers is consumed instantly by the users in the area, without being transported long distances by Transelectrica. Even so, all users in Romania have to pay the electricity transport service to Transelectrica even if the electricity is produced and consumed locally’, says the Association of Prosumers. This happens even if many countries in Europe reduced the annual tariffs of national transporter who did not perform this service.