Romania

Romania’s parliament has adopted a bill mandating prosumers with PV systems with capacities from 10.8 kW to 400 kW to install energy storage systems.

OMV Petrom, a majority-owned Romanian oil and gas supplier, has purchased a 50% stake in three solar projects in Romania.

Romanian energy company TMK Hydroenergy Power has switched on the country’s first floating solar project. The facility, located on a pond in Caras Severin county, is connected to a hydropower plant.

This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Oana Ijdelea, the founder and managing partner of Romanian law firm Ijdelea & Associates. She says there is no objective blockage impeding women from pursuing a career in the renewable sector. There is, however, a vicious circle where women may become reluctant to apply for a position where males appear to be more present, and on the other hand, the lack of female presence in such roles does not encourage other women to step in.

Consortia featuring subsidiaries of Chinese solar module maker Longi and Chinese industrial conglomerate Shanghai Electric have withdrawn from a public procurement tender for a solar park in Romania. The European Commission opened two anti-subsidy investigations into their involvement, which have now been closed.

Romanian developer Monsson has installed a 24 MWh battery storage system as the first stage of a 216 MWh project. The storage unit forms part of Romania’s first hybrid PV-wind-battery system.

The European authorities are trying to determine whether two consortia – including subsidiaries of Longi and Shanghai Electric – violated the new EU rules on foreign subsidies when they participated in a procurement process in Romania for a 110 MW solar farm. The European Commission is expected to make a final decision within 110 working days.

Romania’s OMV Petrom has launched an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) tender for the Theia solar project, which it acquired from Danish developer Jantzen Renewables in July 2023.

Korkia, a Finland-based renewables investor, says that solar projects it is developing with Romania’s Econous Green Energ are set to be licensed and will be ready for construction from next year.

Romania has set a ceiling price of €91 ($99.33)/MWh for solar energy in its first renewables auction. A legal analyst tells pv magazine that this strike price is a good level for the nation’s first contract-for-difference (CfD) auction, but warns that certain aspects of the draft legislation could significantly affect the bankability of the scheme.