Photo: Jcomp on Freepik
PPC Renewables Romania applied for a technical grid connection approval for a 727 MW photovoltaic project. Upon a current acquisition, the Greek company will top 1.3 GW in installed capacity in Romania. It is targeting 2 GW by the end of 2026.
A year and a half since launching its operations in Romania by agreeing to acquire Enel’s businesses, Public Power Corp. (PPC) still isn’t taking its foot off the gas. Namely, electricity transmission system operator Transelectrica has received an application for a 727 MW solar power plant from a project firm. The site is in Dolj county in Romania’s south.
According to De Rock Int’l, the developer, the facility will be commissioned by the end of 2026. The firm owned by PPC Renewables Romania has submitted a request for technical grid connection terms (APR). It means the project is in a very early stage.
As of a recent update, Transelectrica’s list of proposed investments in the same status included 8.5 GW of wind power and 16.6 GW. Moreover, projects for renewable electricity plants with APRs accounted for a whopping 51.3 GW in total two months ago, the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) said. At the time, it expected 716 MW to come online in the final third of 2024.
PPC Renewables’ purchase from Macquarie Assed Management in Romania gets green light
PPC Renewables Romania has also purchased a wind park from Lukoil and minority stakes in Enel’s power distribution and supply portfolio in the country from Fondul Proprietatea. It took over solar power projects of an overall 516 MW from Mytilineos (which changed its name to Metlen Energy and Metals).
The Greek utility, controlled by the government in Athens through a minority stake, recently got regulatory clearance for an acquisition from Macquarie Asset Management in Romania. The package includes the Fântânele-Cogealac-Gradina wind park. It is the largest in Southeastern and Eastern Europe and beyond.
PPC conducted a series of takeovers in Romania in just one and a half years
With the current acquisition, the company’s operational portfolio in Romania amounts to more than 1.3 GW. Already the biggest wind and solar power producer in the country, it targets 2 GW by the end of 2026.
On top of it all, PPC’s clean energy division started the construction earlier this year of a 140 MW wind power plant in Romania’s east.
Dolj PV project is country’s third-biggest
The facility planned in Dolj would currently be the biggest in the country. The Rătești PV plant of 154.7 MW is at the top of the chart. Its owners are Nofar Energy and Econergy. However, there are several larger projects in Romania. PPC’s new one is the third in size overall and the largest one on the said list of requests for ATRs.
Like most European countries, Romania is undergoing a solar power boom. Prosumers are in the driver’s seat, with more than half of total capacity.
The sector is experiencing a surge in investments in big photovoltaic plants in various segments: from local authorities to fossil fuel companies such as Romgaz and OMV Petrom, and even the largest IKEA franchisee company.
Importantly, the Ministry of Energy is planning to roll out mandatory cybersecurity checks for solar power plants.
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