Romania will publish a call for its first solar and wind power auctions within weeks, pending the green light from the government and the Modernisation Fund, Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja estimated, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/ reports. He announced the ceiling prices in the bids for CfD market premiums would be EUR 91 per MWh and EUR 93 per MWh, respectively. Romania will be the first country to use the European Union’s Modernisation Fund to cover two-way contracts for difference (CfDs) with renewable electricity producers. The government received a green light last week from the European Commission for a EUR 3 billion state aid scheme for solar and wind power projects. Auction winners will be entitled to a guaranteed price for the electricity they sell for 15 years, Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja noted. Under a CfD, the government pays the private operator the difference if the market price is lower than the price in its contract. When it’s the other way around, the utility returns the difference. It means predictability for encouraging strategic investments in Romania’s green transition, Burduja stressed. He vowed to make the competitive bidding process as competitive as possible. “Because a lower reference price will give a signal to the entire European market, and even beyond the European Union, that Romania is really attractive for investments in the energy sector, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it no longer exposes the state to a risk of paying more than would be the case in a comfortable time horizon for investors of 15 years,” Burduja stated. Hefty green energy subsidies crippled government finances a decade ago, so the renewables market collapsed and remained dormant for several years. The upcoming auctions are envisaged to be held for projects with an overall 1 GW in solar power and 1 GW in wind power capacity. Another 1.5 GW for each technology is planned for next year, bringing the combined quota to 5 GW. Burduja revealed that the ceiling, the maximum bidding prices, would be EUR 91 per MWh for photovoltaics and EUR 93 per MWh for wind farm projects. The levels were determined with consultants and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The minister said he expects final auction prices to be significantly lower. Last year Romania was a net electricity exporter, he underscored. It was the first time since 2018.
Romania is set to bring high-speed internet to nearly 1,000 remote localities as part of a EUR 94 million investment under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Economy, digitalization, entrepreneurship, and tourism minister Bogdan Ivan signed the financing agreements on Wednesday, March 5. The project will enable the expansion of fiber-optic networks to 994 […]
On Thursday, March 6, Romanian prosecutors at the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) detained six individuals, including a retired general aged 100, accusing them of organized crime and treason. Two of the defendants traveled to Moscow in January and allegedly negotiated with Russian agents for Romania’s withdrawal from NATO. According to the […]
Without an explicit source, an online petition was launched for the presidential candidacy of acting president Ilie Bolojan. Launched by the user "Ilie," the petition was signed by 4,258 on the first day, G4media.ro reported. The author of the petition seems to come from...
Two polls released on March 5 in Romania support the idea that the ruling coalition formed by Liberals (PNL), Social Democrats (PSD), and Hungarian party UDMR should not replace its presidential candidate Crin Antonescu. The polls were published as Antonescu's position as a presidential candidate seems at risk: on the one hand, his scores in […]
The Romanian authorities have declared the military, air, and naval attaché of the Russian Federation in Bucharest, as well as his deputy, persona non grata on Romanian territory, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) announced on March 5. MAE claims that two Russian diplomats have carried out activities that contravene the provisions of the Vienna […]
Garanti BBVA, one of the most dynamic banks in Romania, announced it is granting long-term financing worth EUR 10 million to support the development of the National Golf & Country Club in Dâmbovița County, developed by DM Sport & Energy. With a total value of EUR 30 million, this is a sports and leisure project […]
