Romania risks power outages as import capacity is nearing its limits

A deficit in domestic electricity production is jeopardizing Romania, with imports amounting to more than 35% of consumption during daily peaks. According to Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja, the energy sector is saving water in hydropower reservoirs and coal reserves for colder days and unforeseen events.

The government declared the Mintia gas power plant a project of national importance, to bolster baseload energy sooner, while Electrica was hit by a cyberattack.

It’s not even real winter yet, but Romania’s electricity system is stretched to the brink. Imports broke records last week, topping 3 GW at times. The regular technical limit is usually around 3.5 GW.

The energy sector in Romania is under stress amid temperatures lower than average. The weakness is however structural, a combination of several underlying factors. One, the country is gradually shutting down coal power plants. Investments in replacing the capacity are accelerating, especially in solar power, but not enough.

If there is not enough sunshine and the wind is weak, conventional power plants need to cover the deficit. There is still little energy storage capacity. Consumption is climbing to over 8.5 GW, so the share of imports has been surpassing 35%.

The live tracker on the website of transmission system operator Transelectrica is currently showing consumption at 8.44 GW against domestic production of electricity at 6.31 GW.

Prices are spiking in the balancing market, too, so some producers are intentionally curtailing output to avoid high costs, essentially penalties, for exceeding the forecasted levels, Romanian media reported. In the first nine months, the country imported 86% more power than in the same period last year.

Romania is also substantially supporting the power systems of neighboring Moldova and war-torn Ukraine.

Burduja: We are recovering lost time with unprecedented investments

However, Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja isn’t pessimistic. Romania can import more as well as produce more electricity, but it is cautious, he revealed. The idea is to save water in hydropower reservoirs and coal.

“We are keeping them in case in the coming months it will be much colder, for example, and the consumption much higher, or if other unforeseen events occur. Thus, there is absolutely no risk to the National Energy System from a consumption perspective. We are recovering lost time with unprecedented investments,” Burduja told Economedia.ro.

On the other hand, his own ministry is warning of overloads, saying it could cause technical failures and “massive voltage drops or large-scale power supply interruptions.”

The Ministry of Energy fast-tracked the 1.77 GW gas power plant Mintia and warned of the possibility of massive outages

Against the backdrop of practically nonexistent investments in recent years in the field of energy production necessary to cover the base of the load curve, the war in Ukraine, and the increase in dependence on energy resources imported from outside the European Union, the balance between electricity demand and supply has been affected, generating high prices for consumers and affecting the security of electricity supply and the system’s safety, it underscored.

The warning is from a note accompanying the Ministry of Energy’s decision to declare the Mintia gas power plant a project of national importance. It implies exemption from fees and even from rules against construction in protected areas. The government introduced the possibility with a recent emergency ordinance.

Gas power plants essential for firmer baseload coverage

Mass Global Energy Rom, owned by Jordanian entrepreneur Ahmad Ismail Saleh and his family, is building the Mintia project of 1.77 GW. It is located on the site of a former coal plant. The firm has just signed a connection contract with Transelectrica.

Of note, Romgaz is building a gas power plant, too, and is behind schedule. Greece-based Public Power Corp. (PPC) recently revealed a plan for gas peaker plants of 300 MW in total.

The electricity system is already facing major pressures including the integration of intermittent sources, wind and solar in particular, the Ministry of Energy acknowledged. In addition, Nuclearelectrica is planning to take the 700 MW unit 1 of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant offline from 2027 for refurbishment, it added.

Transelectrica estimated in August that Romania would need to import electricity throughout the winter season.

To make matters worse, electricity distributor and supplier Electrica has just suffered a cyberattack that took its servers down. The ministry said it is likely a ransomware incident. “No cyberattack will leave the country without energy, and critical infrastructure is protected by advanced measures,” Burduja claimed.