The energy regulator of Romania Anre has adopted new grid connection rules, changes in the research process of the solution, the requirements for financial guarantees and the conditions for the connection agreement introduced to give priority to adult projects and facilitating gridcunistry.
The energy regulator of Romania Anre has formalized a reform of the framework of the network connection. It follows a consultation for new rules for grid connections that ran earlier this year.
Under the new framework, which came into effect at the beginning of June, solution studies must be completed in chronological order, with only fully documented projects placed in the queue. This rule also applies to developers who had submitted connection requests, but had not yet signed contracts for the preparation of the investigation from the beginning of June.
After the introduction of a financial guarantee before the issue of a grid connection permit in August 2024, the latest update from Anre developers gives a two -month window to set up the financial guarantee with the network operator after receiving an approved solution study. If this deadline is not met, the solution study will be invalid and the connection request will be concluded.
The Bucharest, based in Bucharest VlgesCeanu & Partners said that the effectiveness of the financial guarantee in preventing non-accumulated investors has been limited to date. The company added that this two -month deadline should strengthen the credibility and efficiency of the connection process.
The updated framework also has a timeline for signing a grid connection agreement. Developers must ask to sign the connection agreement for at least 45 days before their grid connection approval (ATR) ends. If the documents submitted are incomplete, the network operator can request additional documents within 10 calendar days before the developer is obliged to provide the missing information at least 15 calendar days before the ATR expires.
If the developer does not complete the documentation within this time frame, the ATR expires and the network operator is no longer obliged to send a draft of the schedule connection and can enforce the financial guarantee.
The last update of Anre also stipulates that a grid connection agreement can be extended by mutual agreement, but only in steps of 12 months, whereby each requires an additional financial guarantee of 5% on the basis of the connection costs. This new provision, which also applies to extension requests submitted before 1 June, is designed to respond to problems with the congestion of the net.
Daniel Vlastanu, partner at Vlgesanu & Partners, said PV -Magazine That about 70 ATRs are issued after 2 August 2024, which are closely followed by the operator of the electricity transmission system of Romania, Friendelectrica. He said if these projects are canceled, this would release approximately 3.5 GW in capacity.
Vlastanu added that in the long term these latest legal reforms “will lead to more certainty and clarity for serious investors.”
“Those who are sure of their project, but who meet delays outside of their control have the option of expanding the conditions under the connection agreement, but only by putting down extra grid bonds and not by bringing fairly simple justifications, as has been done in practice so far,” he explained. “Given the current state of the market, which is flooded with good but more ‘non-so-good’ projects for sale, the general tendency that is reflected in the changes can only be favorable for the market.”
Romania installed 1.7 GW solar energy in 2024 and pushed the cumulative solar capacity of the country to almost 5 GW. The second auction of the country, with 3.47 GW capacity, including 1.47 GW solar energy, was launched in May 2025.
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