Transelectrica data also shows that at the end of March wind farms with a capacity of 1,140.4 MW were functional, which means this sector has already attracted investments of over EUR1.7 billion.
Apart from these projects, over 20,000 MW worth of projects are now either in the stage of having signed the contracts to join the grid or have secured the technical approvals for joining.
This capacity is wider than that of all energy production facilities operating in Romania, whether thermal, hydro-power stations or the nuclear reactors at Cernavoda (SE Romania).
According to Romania’s 2011-2035 energy strategy, at the end of 2009 the net power available in the system was 16,445 MW, but only around 10,000 MW were operational.
If all these wind power projects were to go through, the value of investments would reach EUR30 billion. However, the system doesn’t allow more than 3,000 MW of wind farms, as Transelectrica announced on several occasions. So, without investments in new lines, without energy consumption increases and without energy-hungry industrial centers, a big part of this wind farm enthusiasm will remain only on paper.
(English version by Daniela Stoican)