Romania to earmark EUR 2 billion in subsidies for prosumers

Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă said subsidies for households to install solar power panels and become prosumers would be doubled to EUR 2 billion. Romania is also planning to replace 250,000 old vehicles by 2026 with the help of European funds.

Romania is under pressure to meet the deadlines for European grants and cheap loans for energy projects, as they must be completed by 2026. Like its neighbor Bulgaria, the country is attracting investments in renewables, nuclear power and adjusting the legal framework. The aim is to to strengthen energy independence, especially from Russian fossil fuels, and meet the European Union’s environmental and climate targets.

One of the most vibrant sectors in Romania’s energy transition are household photovoltaics. They are subsidized via the Casa Verde Fotovoltaice mechanism.

The Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) recently said it expects the number of prosumers to jump from just over 40,000 to 100,000 this year. There were only 303 households, firms and institutions with such a status at the end of 2019!

The expansion is set to keep pace with the new incentives. Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă suggested that the funds for Casa Verde Fotovoltaice would be doubled to EUR 2 billion and said it would be sufficient for up to 80,000 beneficiaries.

Furthermore, Minister of Environment, Water and Forests Barna Tánczos said that 250,000 polluting vehicles would be replaced by 2026. The Rabla program for vehicles older than 15 years is also funded from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP or PNRR).