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April 15, 2025
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Turkey’s renewables failing to cover power demand growth despite solar boom

Turkey switched in 2024 from a net electricity importer to net exporter, but renewables are still not growing fast enough to meet rising domestic power demand – one of the highest in the world, Ember found. The country has become Europe’s biggest coal power producer and there are plans for more such capacity.

Wind and solar generated 18% of electricity last year or 62 TWh, according to data from Ember’s Türkiye Electricity Review 2025. Together they were higher than domestic coal again, at 47 TWh, after surpassing it for the first time in 2023. But imports account for 61% of coal power production in the country.

Solar power growth spiked 39% in Turkey or by 7.3 TWh and the capacity reached 19.8 GW by the end of 2024. It compares to the global rise of 29% in output.

Photovoltaics had a 7.5% share, after 5.7% one year earlier. The wind power item advanced by only 0.1 percentage point, to 10.7%.

Government’s ambitions for renewables would result in 49% combined solar, wind power share in production

At 5.5%, Turkey had one of the highest increases in power demand last year in the world, mostly because of record meteorological heat pushing up cooling needs. The amount was 18 TWh and the total reached 342 TWh.

The rise in domestic electricity generation totaled 23 TWh and Turkey achieved a switch from a net power importer to net exporter. Nevertheless, wind and solar are still not growing fast enough to meet rising demand, translating to costly imported fossil fuel power generation, the report points out. The situation is similar on a worldwide scale.

The 7.3 TWh increase in solar accounted for 32% of the jump in electricity generation, compared to 40.2% on a global scale. The ambitious renewables targets for 2035 would result in a share of fossil fuels of 20%, and wind and solar at 49% in combination.

“Although demand growth has slowed in recent years, it is still outpacing the rate of new wind and solar additions. Demand increased by 42 TWh in the last five years, compared to 31 TWh of additional wind and solar. The rest of demand is met by imported coal and gas,” said Ufuk Alparslan, the report’s author and the energy think tank’s regional lead for Turkey and the Caucasus.

‍Romania beats Turkey in solar power production share

In the group of 20 countries with the highest electricity demand in Europe, Turkey surpassed Switzerland in solar electricity generation in 2024. On the other hand, it fell one position behind Romania, which is ranked 12th, as it doubled its solar power share to 7.8% in 2024.

The first in the list is Hungary, with 24.9%, followed by Greece (21.5%) and Spain (21.2%).

Adding solar to hydroelectric plants with dams mitigates drought impact

From 2020, solar power plants can be installed as an auxiliary source in power plants in Turkey, which creates hybrid power plants. Making more use of solar and wind power plants, which have a complementary generation profile to hydroelectricity, will play a key role in ensuring Türkiye’s energy security, the report reads.

Terrestrial and floating solar power plants as secondary sources to existing hydroelectric power plants reduce the risk of a shortfall from hydro in dry years, it added.

Although the amount of incoming water in 2024 was very close to the previous two years, hydroelectric power generation with dams increased by 29%. Total hydropower generation was 75 TWh or 17% more than in 2023 and it was the third-highest result so far.

Turkey is largest coal power producer in Europe

Despite a jump in electricity generation from coal by 3.4% to 122 TWh, its share in electricity mix declined from 36.9% to 35.6%. With coal-fired power generation continuing to decline across Europe, Turkey overtook Germany to become number one. Meanwhile, gas power fell by 4%. It brought the share of fossil fuels in production to 55% — the lowest level since 1993.

There are no coal-fired power plants under construction, but several projects remain. There is a plan to expand the largest facility in the fleet, Afşin Elbistan A (1.36 GW), by two units of an overall 688 MW.

Germany’s coal power output fell 17% to 104 TWh while in Poland, the third in the list, it declined 8% to 91 TWh. As for the share in domestic electricity production, Poland is first, with 53.6%, followed by Czechia (36.5%), Turkey (35.6%), Germany (21.8%), Bulgaria (21.6%), Romania (13%) and Greece, with just 5.7% last year.

As for the Western Balkans, Kosovo* is ranked the highest in the world, now at 92%. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are fifth and sixth, respectively, both at 63% on a rounded basis.

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* This designation is without prejudice to positions onstatus and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
April 14, 2025
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Europe must finance its clean future now

Author: Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe, EUSEW’s partner organisation.

‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.’ In a world of short-term thinking and instant gratification, this old adage continues to hold true. In the context of the energy transition, and the race against time to offset the worst effects of climate change, it is even more relevant.

In fact, we in Europe can say that we did start investing properly in wind and solar power 20 years ago (although we would be in a much stronger position had we started 20 years before that, immediately after Professor James Hansen’s landmark testimony to the US Senate committee on energy in 1988).

But rather than look back in disappointment or despair at humanity’s delayed climate action, we can resolve not to make the same mistakes again. Hydrogen, one of the enablers of the energy transition, offers us a new solution with which to decarbonise.

Clean hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier with multiple applications across our society. You can use it to sustainably produce steel, fertilisers, and chemicals – hard-to-abate sectors which cannot be easily electrified – or fuels for road, maritime, or aviation mobility systems, where smaller size and longer ranges compared with batteries make fuel cell propulsion systems more desirable for long-haul journeys. You can also use it for long-term energy storage, grid balancing, and flexibility, which will grow in importance as we move to a fully renewable electricity grid. This is just a short summary of the vast potential held within this clean molecule.

Hydrogen is a helpful addition to electricity

Hydrogen is thus a complementary tool to electrification, reaching where electrons cannot. Already several projects around Europe are showing how. In Sweden, H2 Green Steel – Europe’s first greenfield steel mill in 50 years – replaced coal with green hydrogen to power the steelmaking process, cutting CO2 emissions by up to 95% compared to traditional steelmaking. In France, Lhyfe produces renewable hydrogen from wind energy and sells it to industrial end-users, as well as zero emission bus and freight fleets. In Italy, one of the world’s largest shipbuilders, Fincantieri, is designing hydrogen-based cruise and cargo ships.

These success stories can be built upon, and Europe could lead a global market based on the production, transport, and use of renewable hydrogen. But there is a risk that moving too slowly will see Europe lose out to global competitors, as seen in the solar and battery industries, where decades of European-led research and development could not prevent profits from going elsewhere once the technologies came to market.

Despite a substantial pipeline of projects up and down the hydrogen value chain, Final Investment Decisions (FID) have been comparatively rare – only 4% of global hydrogen projects reached FID last year, and most of those were in China. This is due in large part to the cost of producing renewable hydrogen in Europe still exceeding that of fossil fuel-based hydrogen. With a strong support system, we can make clean hydrogen a viable option for all those businesses looking to achieve emissions reduction.

We need to think more pragmatically. China has achieved massive success through state-led innovation and the development of clean technologies to the point that it is now a global market leader in most subsectors. And climate change means we do not have the time to simply wait for the economics to work out. These two facts show us that it is not only desirable but necessary, to spend in the short-term in order to reap the benefits in the long term. Sow the seeds. Plant the tree now.

More effort required to accelerate hydrogen market development in Europe

This is not to say that Europe has not already taken important steps to close the financing gap. The European Hydrogen Bank auctions, under the Innovation Fund call, are and will continue to be a successful endeavor to provide key support to hydrogen production projects. The Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) program has already awarded support to more than 120 projects involving nearly 100 European companies and should raise over €43 billion from a blend of public and private funds. This is positive, but more is needed both at the European and national level if we are to seriously get the hydrogen market moving here before it is too late to compete.

In the latest draft of the European Commission’s ‘Clean Industrial Deal’ regulatory package, the state aid framework introduces relevant capital expenditure (CAPEX) support, with aid intensities of up to 50% for hydrogen use in industry and 45% for renewable energy rollout, creating a strong foundation for hydrogen deployment. Europe wants to stake its claim as a clean technology leader, but to do so we must stop pulling the rug out from under our own feet.

Europe has repeatedly and publicly professed its support for hydrogen, and as a result, hundreds of companies have invested time and money into building up the sector. We have some existing, successful funding schemes in place and a mammoth pipeline of projects. But we must go further, for example by encouraging national governments to accelerate the transposition of EU legislation and to consider implementing their own funding mechanisms for hydrogen projects. By planting these trees now, we will be able to sit in the shade of a robust, competitive hydrogen market for years to come – with all the new jobs, decarbonization potential, added resilience, and global competitiveness that it will bring.

This opinion editorial is produced in co-operation with the European Sustainable Energy Week 2025. See ec.europa.eu/eusew for more details.

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April 14, 2025
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Belgrade Energy Forum 2025 – 50 speakers at eight panels to track pace of SEE energy transition

The agenda of the third Belgrade Energy Forum, taking place on May 14-15, has been finalized with the addition of further prominent energy experts and companies. The conference, organized by Southeast Europe’s leading energy news portal, Balkan Green Energy News, will feature eight panels covering key topics in the energy sector, with an impressive lineup of speakers. Make sure you register on time via this link.

The Belgrade Energy Forum will once again be a meeting place for representatives of regional and international institutions and organizations, as well as the business community from across the region, Europe, and the world.

Eight panels featuring more than 50 speakers will offer an overview of the current challenges in the energy sector. Conference participants will hear in-depth analyses of the current situation, but also projections for the future. The thread that connects everything at this year’s BEF is digitalization – it permeates energy production, consumption, and storage and allows enough flexibility for the stable functioning of the energy systems of the future, where renewable energy will dominate.

Chikán: Electricity knows no borders

One of the key speakers at the conference, Alteo Group CEO Chikán Attila, will lead the company’s high-level delegation. Alteo has recently launched a regional expansion drive, aiming to establish a green platform of up to 2 GW in energy production, including operation, software, maintenance, storage, and waste management.

The Hungarian company primarily targets its home market, Slovakia, Croatia, and Serbia.

“Electricity knows no borders, therefore partnerships and collaborations among energy market players are essential, even at the regional level. Such cooperation is vital to ensuring the security and reliability of electricity supply, facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources, and providing essential digital solutions, supported by expertise and professional know-how,” Chikán stressed.

Decarbonization strategies for power generation in Southeast Europe 2040/2050

  • Dejan Paravan, CEO, GEN Energija
  • Dušan Živković, CEO, EPS
  • Eric Scotto, CEO, AKUO
  • Milutin Đukanović, Chairman, EPCG Board of Directors
  • Neda Lazendić, Country Manager, WV-International

Although at the heart of national energy systems, state-owned power utilities are faced with an environment that has changed and continues to change rapidly. The key shift is the entry of private capital into electricity production through the construction of solar power plants and wind farms.

The energy transition, at this stage, requires cooperation between state power utilities and private companies. With decarbonization as the main objective, the key challenge lies in choosing appropriate strategies and electricity generation technologies.

Moderating the panel will be Dražen Jakšić, Director of the Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar (EIHP).

“The transition to a low-carbon energy system is a key challenge for our region, demanding innovation, investment, and cooperation. As a sponsor of the Belgrade Energy Forum, EIHP is committed to fostering dialogue and driving sustainable energy solutions. I look forward to an insightful discussion,” he stressed.

Jakšić: The transition to a low-carbon energy system is a key challenge for our region, demanding innovation, investment, and cooperation

In recent years, nuclear energy has emerged as a possible alternative. There is hardly a better interlocutor on this topic in the region than Dejan Paravan, the top man of GEN Energija, the Slovenian company developing the Krško 2 nuclear power plant project.

Dušan Živković, CEO of Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), will tell us about the Serbian power utility’s plans when it comes to nuclear energy.

Živković: Without decarbonization, the region’s energy sector has no future

“Without decarbonization, there is no future for the region’s energy sector, and that is the biggest challenge ahead of us. It is essential to accelerate decisions and ensure sustainable project financing mechanisms that will provide energy security for every country and power utility in the decades to come. By investing in existing capacities and new renewable energy projects, EPS, as the biggest utility in the region, will make its own contribution to energy security. That’s why we have initiated a transformation process – because we need to be more profitable, more efficient, and fully prepared to tackle any challenge,” Živković pointed out.

The energy transition, in his words, is the path EPS has chosen, and all its plans will align with that goal, based on the belief that the diversification of energy sources and new technologies are essential for achieving it. “These are just some of the key messages I will share with the participants of this year’s BEF,” said Živković.

Eric Scotto, co-founder and CEO of French company Akuo, will share the latest information on the energy transition from across the globe.

The company’s portfolio consists of 1.9 GW of power plants in operation and under construction, with a further 12 GW in the pipeline in more than 20 countries around the world, including a number of countries in the Southeast Europe region.

Integration of Western Balkans electricity markets into internal European market through market coupling

  • Anže Predovnik, Director, ADEX Group
  • Ivan Asanović, Executive Director, CGES
  • Marko Bislimoski, President, Energy, Water Services and Municipal Waste Management Services Regulatory Commission of the Republic of North Macedonia
  • Zoran Vujasinović, Policy Officer, ACER

The integration of the Western Balkans’ electricity markets with the European Union (EU) markets is a process that deserves much greater public attention than it currently receives. It is safe to say that its true importance will become evident only once it is completed.

Full integration will unlock significant synergies, maximizing the benefits of a unified market by enhancing supply security, accelerating the integration of renewable energy sources, and fostering greater competition and transparency.

Moderator Dejan Stojčevski, CTO of the SEEPEX power exchange, says the panel seeks to encourage dialogue on the importance of cross-border collaboration and market efficiency in bolstering energy security and sustainability in the region.

Bislimoski: The time for inspiring speeches is over. Geopolitical developments demand action – now!

Since market integration is largely the job of regulators, the challenges they face will be analyzed by Marko Bislimoski, president of North Macedonia’s Energy and Water Services Regulatory Commission (RKE).

He says that three things are essential for the regional integration of electricity markets into a single European market: investment, investment, and nothing but investment. In his words, the energy crisis demonstrated that limitations become a reality when governments fail to prioritize the implementation of key energy infrastructure capacities in their budgets.

“This past winter, the region faced the highest electricity prices compared to the rest of Europe. Why? Because the implementation of energy investments is not just a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Today, more than ever before, the countries of the former Yugoslavia must demonstrate maturity. These are the years when energy independence will be built through action. The time for inspiring speeches is over. Geopolitical developments demand action – now!” he stressed.

Energy revolution underway – uniting efforts to deliver green, intelligent and sustainable energy solutions

  • Aleš Prešern, VP, Head of Southeast Europe, Siemens Energy
  • Maja Turković, SVP, CWP Europe
  • Ann-Catherine de Tourtier, Managing Director Mediterranean, Nordex Group

As much as contesting the energy transition may be futile, there are still those who find such a view meaningful, especially in light of certain global political developments. That’s why it is important to give the floor to some of the transition leaders and let them testify that an energy revolution is indeed underway in the region.

The panel’s moderator Mirza Kušljugić – professor, energy expert, and one of the founders of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Centre for Sustainable Energy Transition Centre (RESET) – goes one step further to show that change is not only happening but also accelerating.

“The key words are a new energy paradigm driven by the four Ds – decarbonization, digitalization, decentralization, and democratization. But now we also have another D: disruption, or radical change in the industry and market caused by technological innovation. Of course, we must focus the discussion – from global processes (China, the US, the EU, the Global South) to where the region stands in all of this,” Kušljugić points out, providing a perfect introduction to the panel.

Turković: It’s more important than ever to have open discussions about real solutions

Aleš Prešern, Vice President and Head of Southeast Europe at Siemens Energy, has worked in the energy sector for more than 20 years. He recalls that digitalization is key, along with grid resilience and electricity transmission.

With nearly 100,000 employees in more than 90 countries, Siemens Energy develops the energy systems of the future, ensuring that the growing energy demand of the global community is met reliably and sustainably. The technologies created in the company’s research departments and factories drive the energy transition and provide the base for one sixth of the world’s electricity generation.

As a leader in renewable energy development, CWP is actively working on several large-scale projects across the SEE region with a total capacity exceeding 7 GW, positioning the company at the forefront of the region’s energy transition. Given its global expertise and insights into the regional energy market, CWP’s contribution to this year’s conference will be invaluable.

Maja Turković, Executive Vice President of CWP Europe, says that BEF 2025 is a key gathering of leading experts driving the energy transition in Southeast Europe.

“As this shift gains momentum, it’s more important than ever to have open, action-driven discussions about real solutions to the challenges and opportunities ahead,” says Turković.

PPAs as a key to renewable energy growth in SEE

  • Nikola Gazdov, Chairman, Association for production, storage and trading of electricity – APSTE
  • Natalija Ljubić, Manager PPA & BESS Transactions, Pexapark
  • Ivana Đurović, Category Manager Renewable Energy, Knauf Group

Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) are, like flexibility, a tool for fixing the imperfections of renewable energy sources, and they are recognized as a key mechanism within the new electricity market design. They ensure price stability, attract new investment, and accelerate the decarbonization of industry.

Is the region ready for PPAs? What are the dominant models? What is the current market practice? How are PPAs viewed by financial institutions? What do they offer to end consumers and what to investors in new power plants? Answers to these questions will be sought at the panel moderated by Mislav Slade-Šilović, Energy, Utilities & Resources Consulting Leader for Southeast Europe and member of the core PPA team at consultancy PwC.

Experience with PPAs for more than 500 GWh of electricity

Slade-Šilović’s experience in concluding PPAs for the production and consumption of over 500 GWh of electricity per year in the SEE region will certainly be of help.

Nikola Gazdov, Chairman of Bulgaria’s association for electricity production, storage, and trading (APSTE) and member of the Board of Directors of the European solar industry association SolarPower Europe, has no shortage of experience either. As CEO of three companies – Enery Element GmbH, Element Power Group, and Renergy – he is involved in the development of a large number of projects.

Pexapark, a company that provides logistics to businesses in the renewable energy market, is synonymous with PPAs in Europe. Natalija Ljubić is the Manager for PPA and BESS Transactions at Pexapark, which has helped conclude contracts for facilities with a combined capacity exceeding 35 GW.

The views of electricity buyers – without whom there would be no PPAs – will be conveyed by Ivana Đurović, Category Manager for Renewable Energy at Knauf Group.

Market flexibility: the backbone of a resilient energy system

  • Roman Bernard, CEO, NGEN
  • Luka Renko, COO, KOER
  • Alteo Group representative
  • Nikolaj Candellari, Project Manager and Market Intelligence, CyberGrid
  • Marko Zarić, EMS

Moderating the panel will be Elena Boškov Kovač, co-founder and CEO of Blueprint Energy Solutions, and a leading voice on market flexibility in Europe.

She will host representatives of the sector’s leading companies: NGEN, Alteo, KOER, CyberGrid, as well as Serbia’s transmission system operator Elektromreža Srbije (EMS).

“Excited to moderate a high-impact panel on ‘Market Flexibility: The Backbone of a Resilient Energy System’ at the Belgrade Energy Forum 2025,” says Boškov Kovač, whose work has shaped smart grid strategies and digitalization innovation agendas across the EU and under ETIP SNET.

As Europe accelerates its shift to renewables, market flexibility is emerging as the cornerstone of reliable, affordable, and decarbonized energy systems. With the European flexibility market promising to unlock over EUR 20 billion in savings, this session will explore how digital tools, flexible assets, and new market designs are unlocking value and resilience across the grid.

Slovenia’s NGEN is the technology sponsor of BEF 2025

Slovenian energy company NGEN, the technology sponsor of the conference, has managed to establish itself as a significant player in European markets in just five years of operation and is now ready to enter the Western Balkans’ markets.

Specializing in premium battery storage systems and smart energy solutions, the company is developing systems with a total capacity of 1.6 GWh in European countries. Its founder, Roman Bernard, will be speaking at the panel.

Also taking part in the panel will be Luka Renko, COO of KOER, a pioneer in virtual power plants in the region.

Rounding off the lineup of exceptional panelists will be Nikolaj Candellari, who is responsible for project management at CyberGrid. The software company was acquired a few years ago by Austria’s EVN, one of the first to demonstrate that greater integration of renewable energy sources, battery storage, and prosumers is not possible without digitalization and software solutions.

In a nutshell, this innovative company stands for the digitalization of the energy sector, with a focus on virtual power plants.

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April 14, 2025
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BiH entities agree on electricity market law – power exchange to be established in Mostar

After ten years of negotiations, the Republic of Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the two entities of BiH, have finally agreed on a law on the electricity regulator, transmission, and market. The important piece of legislation should enable the establishment of an electricity exchange, which is one of the conditions for BiH’s exemption from the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on electricity exports to the European Union.

The breakthrough was announced by Staša Košarac, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH and Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers.

The law on the electricity regulator, transmission, and market has been agreed, Košarac said after a meeting in Vienna with Energy Community Secretariat Director Artur Lorkowski.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska Petar Đokić and the Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) Vedran Lakić.

Košarac: A serious step towards fulfilling obligations in the energy sector

“After several years of attempts, since 2017, we have finally agreed on the law,” Košarac noted.

He recalled that the said legislation is one of the conditions for the exemption of BiH from the EU’s carbon border tax.

“We made a serious step towards fulfilling our obligations in the energy sector. I am truly grateful to Ministers Đokić and Lakić, and to the Energy Community Secretariat for cooperation,” Košarac stressed.

Lakić: BiH will no longer be the only country without a law and an electricity exchange

The Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry of the Federation of BiH pointed out that the negotiations on the law lasted ten years.

“We have reasons to be extremely satisfied with the agreement, especially related to the current circumstances in BiH, because this is an important step in the process of exempting the country from CBAM. Now we will be able to protect exporters to the EU in all parts of BiH, and to use the funds collected from the CO2 tax for projects in the country,” Lakić explained.

In his view, the law also sets an environment for the establishment of an electricity exchange, based in Mostar. BiH is no longer the only country that does not have its own law on the electricity market and power exchange, he noted.

Đokić: The key reason for the agreement is the CBAM

The Minister of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska Petar Đokić recalled that the law has been discussed for more than ten years. He noted that it only legalized the current practice established by existing laws.

Elektroprenos BiH, the Independent System Operator in Bosnia and Herzegovina (NOSBiH) and the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC or DERK) are already operational in line with the laws.

CBAM has been postponed for a year

The key reason for the harmonization is the establishment of the electricity exchange because it is a prerequisite for BiH to submit a request for exemption from the cross-border CO2 tax, the minister stressed.

Without the exemption, BiH would pay a tax on its electricity exports to the EU and into the EU budget, said Đokić, who will be among the speakers at Belgrade Energy Forum 2025 (BEF 2025). The entity minister recalled that the EU postponed the CBAM implementation from January 2026 to January 2027. Of note, BiH previously asked for CBAM to be postponed.

The implementation of CBAM would make companies in BiH exporting electricity uncompetitive. It would jeopardize the financial stability of government-controlled power utility Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske (ERS) in the Republic of Srpska, according to the minister.

Đokić noted that the power exchange would be established by three power companies in BiH – ERS, Elektroprivreda BiH (EPBiH) and Elektroprivreda HZHB, with the transmission system operator – NOSBiH.

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April 14, 2025
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Austria’s Verbund acquires 272 MW wind project in Romania

Verbund Wind Power Romania, a subsidiary of Austria’s Verbund, has acquired a 272 MW wind project from Monsson, a Sweden-based renewable energy group. The project, taken over at a ready-to-build stage, is expected to enter the construction phase in 2026.

The planned wind farm in Caraș-Severin county in Romania is expected to produce 569 GWh of electricity annually, Verbund said in a press release.

Verbund has been present in the Romanian renewables market since 2012, operating the 226 MW Casimcea wind farm in Tulcea county. It also has a portfolio of wind and photovoltaic projects under development.

Verbund already operates a 226 MW wind farm in Romania

Adrian Borotea, General Manager of Verbund Wind Power Romania, said the company looks forward to future opportunities that can help speed up the country’s energy transition. “In Verbund, we continuously seek to stimulate the growth of the clean energy sector in Romania, in line with our sustainable approach to business,” he stressed.

Sebastian Enache, Head of Mergers and Acquisitions and member of the Board of Directors of Monsson, said the need for clean energy as a central point of the energy sector development in Romania and Europe is growing, adding that the company is proud to have started this cooperation with Verbund, one of the largest producers of electricity from renewable sources in Europe.

The Austrian utility expects 25% of its overall electricity output to be generated from solar and wind energy by 2030, with Romania seen as one of the strategic target markets to achieve the objective.

Monsson has over 5 GW of solar and wind projects in Romania

Monsson has a portfolio of more than 5 GW of wind and solar projects in Romania. It offers a full range of services, including the design, development, construction, and operation of renewable energy power plants, as well as the construction and operation of battery-based energy storage solutions.

The company recently said it was preparing to build a manufacturing facility in the Romanian town of Petrila to produce renewable energy equipment, including robots that clean solar panels.

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April 14, 2025
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Feasibility study complete for Romania’s East-West underground high-voltage line

A project for underground high-voltage power link East-West across Romania entered a new phase with the completion of the feasibility study. It would run alongside existing energy infrastructure.

A year and a half after Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja declared the project for a high voltage direct current (HVDC) line across Romania “the number one priority,” the feasibility study is complete. Notably, he estimated at the time that it would be done within six months and that the interconnection had to be installed by 2029.

The East-West Interconnector (Est-Vest) project is entering the next phase. It is planned to run underground from the Black Sea coast to the border with Hungary. The endeavor includes utilizing existing infrastructure corridors such as the BRUA and Tuzla-Podișor gas pipelines.

It saves significant time on permits, lowers costs and reduces environmental impact, the ministry pointed out. The project partners are Romania’s transmission system operator Transelectrica, Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. (TAQA) from the United Arab Emirates, the French Meridiam and domestic company E-Infra.

Italian consultancy and engineering services provider CESI conducted the study. It launched the task in May last year.

Burduja: No time to waste in making Romania net exporter of electricity

Minister Sebastian Burduja said it is one of the most ambitious energy infrastructure projects in Central and Eastern Europe. The new study marks an essential stage in Romania’s transformation into a regional energy hub and a strategic actor in Europe’s energy security, he claimed.

“We have no time to waste. We will accelerate all the necessary steps for Romania to become a net exporter of clean energy and a pillar of stability in the region. Moreover, the project is vital for the modernization and balancing of Romania’s electricity transmission network and will ensure the evacuation of significant quantities of electricity that will be generated following the completion of Romania’s strategic investments in units 3 and 4 of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant, as well as in the offshore and onshore wind projects in the Dobruja area,” Burduja stated.

The East-West HVDC will be able to cary electricity from the Cernavodă nuclear power plant as well as from future wind projects in the east

Internationally, the project contributes to strengthening the integration of the regional and European energy market and increasing the security of supply to consumers in the southeastern part of Europe, according to the minister. It contributes to the possibilities for exporting electricity to neighboring countries, he noted.

The project is an integral part of the Green Corridor, which is supposed to connect Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary, as well as other countries in the region. The project includes the proposal for an HVDC cable that would run under the Black Sea.

Energy security comes first

The ministry’s objectives are a secure energy supply, at affordable prices, and for Romanians and the economy, and the energy to be green – all in the same order.

HVDC is currently the prevailing technology for long-distance power transmission. The East-West interconnector is supposed to pass through Bucharest.

The cable would allow the transmission of green energy produced in Romania – including from future offshore wind farms in the Black Sea – to domestic and consumers in other European Union member countries. It will also allow Romania to get green energy from Azerbaijan when there is a deficit in the national power system, the ministry added.

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