In 2013, the power consumption’s decline was double the pace of the previous year. Last year, Romania consumed around 49.7 TWh of energy, down 5% from 2012 and 9% less than in 2008, the best year for the domestic economy. However, energy output had a relatively small variation against 2012, and the country’s energy exports doubled.
Along consumer categories, the hardest hit were regulated non-household consumers, a category including small businesses, where energy demand shrank by almost 17%. Population demand also dropped, by 2.6%, while consumption of large clients stabilized, according to the 2013 annual report published by the Romanian energy watchdog ANRE.
On the segment of large consumers, which have the strength to negotiate energy contracts, 2013 brought stabilization. Energy demand from large consumers in 2013 was almost 34% higher than the 2008 level. In the case of the population as well, 2013 energy demand outstripped the 2008 level. The only category that did not revert to the pre-crisis level was the one of regulated non-household consumers.As a matter of fact, the overall energy consumption decline of 2013 against 2012 can be largely blamed on the ever lower appetite of the regulated non-household segment.
For years, the trend of energy consumption was tightly linked to the overall trend of the economy, but 2012 brought a visible break between the two indicators.
Energy prices also decreased in 2013 against 2012, getting close to the lows posted in 2009. Thus, the average energy spot prices stood at EUR35.3/MWh last year, according to ZF calculations, down 28% against 2012 and close to the 2009 level.
Things were not different on the market of bilateral contracts, either, as the average price revolved around EUR42, 18% lower than in 2012. The lower energy demand and rising green energy quantities led to the decrease in prices. The falling energy prices caused difficulties for producers and prompted some buyers, which used to buy energy on the long-term, to exit bilateral contracts for a better price of the spot market.
Overall, though, in the five years of crisis, the price of energy for industry, taxes included, rose by around 38%, according to Eurostat data. The main factor that led to this were the taxes included in bills to support development of renewable energy capacities.
The rising weight of green energy is visible in ANRE’s reports. For instance, in 2013 wind energy got to hold 7.1% of the market, from 3.5% in 2012. In 2009, wind energy was not even included in ANRE’s reports.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)