Enel: Romanian energy crisis will hit the renewables sector

The energy crisis in Romania will imminently hit the renewable energy sector, said Georgios Stassis, general manager of the power company Enel Romania. He warned that the young energy market in Romania is facing its first exceptional challenge.

“The prices are at their highest levels in decades, the system is close to its functioning limit, and some suppliers unilaterally cancel contracts to take advantage of these record prices, leaving their customers without  energy despite the signed contracts”, Stassis said for News.ro.

According to him, long-term perspective should pay off in the energy market, instead of speculative behavior and lack of responsibility. A competitive market can provide the best results only if the customer contracts and commitments are followed.

Stassis said that wind has proven a reliable source of energy, helping to cover peak consumption and having a beneficial effect of moderating prices in the market. However, wind energy producers find themselves in a desperate situation due to changes in the support scheme for renewable energy.

The price of electricity on the Romanian spot market reached RON 650, or EUR 144, per MWh. This is nearly three times higher compared to the same period last year.

Romania has been facing an energy crisis from the beginning of 2017, as domestic consumption reached record heights due to the extremely cold weather. At the same time, the low flow of the Danube reduced the production of Romania’s two biggest hydro power plants.