Romanian energy regulation and funding developments

In Romania, energy sector stakeholders and regulators are advancing new frameworks for electricity management, storage funding, and consumer participation.

The Association of Prosumers and Energy Communities (APCE) has formally requested modifications to the Environmental Fund Administration (AFM) guidelines for a new energy storage battery funding program. The proposed program aims to fund up to 75% of project values, capped at 15,000 lei, utilizing approximately 400 million lei in public funds. APCE argues the current draft contains “seven critical issues” that could lead to discrimination and the inefficient use of public funds. Specific concerns include a scoring system that favors large photovoltaic installations, a lack of required ratios between solar panels and batteries, and the exclusion of households that produce energy but lack prosumer status due to a lack of grid connection.

Simultaneously, the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) has implemented new regulations regarding consumption flexibility services. This mechanism allows eligible consumers, acting directly or through aggregators, to be remunerated for the voluntary reduction of electricity use during market stress or resource deficits. ANRE President George Niculescu clarified that the mechanism is not a form of “consumption rationing” but treats demand reduction as a resource with market value to lower total costs. This system operates via a bidding process organized by Transelectrica.

Furthering market modernization, ANRE has officially operationalized the National Register of Energy Communities (RNCE) by registering its first two entities: the Renewable Energy Source Community (CESR) Asociația Comunitatea Portului and the Citizen Energy Community (CEC) Micăcasa Coop. These registrations aim to democratize the market by allowing local actors to form production and consumption enclaves. Some estimates suggest that energy communities could have an annual impact of 1.3 billion euros in Romania.