Romania has green energy production units with an installed capacity of more than 4,500 MW, the equivalent of over a quarter of all electricity production units. The largest part of renewable energy production units are wind power units.
The Romanian government currently supports the production of renewable energy through a green certificate system. Each green energy producer receives a number of certificates from state-owned electricity transporter Transelectrica for the amount it delivers into the national grid. The number of certificates varies depending on the technology used.
Producers then sell the certificates to suppliers, which are forced by law to acquire them, with the aim of covering part of consumption from renewable sources. Suppliers then recover their green certificate costs by including them in their tariffs.
In February, Energy Minister Andrei Gerea said the government was looking into changing the green certificate scheme after lower incentives for the sector resulted in a decline of investments.
In the second quarter of the year, energy regulator ANRE is expected to draft a methodology establishing regulated prices and sale regulations for electricity made from renewable sources in units of up to 500 kW.
ANRE said Romania has already reached its green energy target pledged to the European Union, but this is not a reason to limit further green energy units. On the other hand, investments in green energy declined considerably once the price of green certificates reached the legally required minimum.