DRI nears 300 MW renewables portfolio in Romania

In the coming weeks, DRI, the renewables division of Ukrainian DTEK Group, said its portfolio of operational renewable energy power plants in Romania is about to increase to nearly 300 MW.

The Văcărești photovoltaic park, with an installed peak capacity of 126 MW, will become fully operational in the coming weeks, after less than a year of construction, DRI CEO Murat Çinar told e-nergia.

The solar power plant is located in the Văcărești area in Dâmbovița county.

DRI‘s operational portfolio in Romania consists of the Ruginoasa wind farm, of 60 MW, and the Glodeni I and Glodeni II solar power plants, with a total peak capacity of 113 MW.

The firm is evaluating options to maximize value of the currents assets

Following the commissioning of the Văcărești PV park, DRI’s strategy in Romania will remain flexible. The firm is evaluating options to maximize asset value and adapt to evolving market opportunities, Çinar said.

It includes exploring the addition of co-located battery energy storage systems (BESS) as well as the possibility of asset rotation to optimize profitability, he explained.

The company aims to maximize its long-term value while remaining attentive to market developments to capture emerging opportunities.

DRI recently signed the largest PPA contract in Romania

Çinar recalled that the energy that the company produces in Romania is traded on the spot market. However, he acknowledged that power purchase agreements (PPAs) remain the preferred way to ensure the bankability of projects and a stable revenue stream.

The CEO noted that DRI recently signed the largest PPA in Romania – an 8.5-year contract with OMV Petrom, for approximately 100 GWh per year, at a fixed price. From January 2026, OMV Petrom will purchase 62% of the energy produced by the Glodeni I and II solar power plants. The oil and gas firm will take over 50% of the production of the Văcărești solar park from January 2027.

DRI is discussing other similar contracts, Çinar revealed.

Romania’s regulatory framework could be improved

He praised Romania for its remarkable potential for the development of renewable energy, and for the recent measures approved by the country’s regulator ANRE, aimed at improving network access and transparency of processes.

However, frequent changes in the legislative framework and capacity limitations of the electricity infrastructure continue to generate uncertainties and increase balancing costs for developers, he underlined.

Of note, DRI has a 1.4 GW portfolio in four markets in the European Union. It is developing two battery energy storage systems (BESS) with a combined capacity of 245 MW in Poland.

The firm owns seven agrivoltaic projects in Italy with a total peak capacity of over 500 MW, and a wind and solar portfolio in Croatia of 336 MW combined.

DRi intends to make projects in the two countries proceed to the ready-to-build phase as quickly as possible, Çinar stressed.