It is necessary to continue the investments in reducing technological losses, reducing operational costs and further improving the quality indicators so that the networks performance can reach Western European level, to the benefit of electricity consumers, the organization said in a press release Thursday.
Organization members invested around EUR3 million in the past 10 years (2008-2017) for the extension, rehabilitation and modernization of the country’s electricity distribution networks. In the gas distribution network, over EUR1 billion of investments were dedicated to the modernization and extension of the network.
ACUE called for the continuation of sustained investments in upgrading utilities networks, citing the need for a regulatory framework that further stimulates investments and innovation in the electricity and gas distribution.
Final prices for households are among the lowest in Europe, but household income is also among the lowest of all EU member countries (with 62% below the European average in 2016), energy costs corrected with purchasing power being 8% above the European average for electricity and 7% below the European average for natural gas.
Therefore, adequate measures to cope with energy poverty, namely the development and introduction of measures to protect vulnerable customers, are mandatory and long-time overdue, ACUE said.
Established in May 2012, ACUE Federation has 30 members, among which many important groups from the energy sector such as E.ON Romania, ENGIE Romania, ENEL Romania, CEZ Romania, C.N.T.E.,Transelectrica SA, Electrica SA, WIEE, WIROM GAS, GAZ EST, with a total of about 27,000 employees and an annual turnover of over EUR5.5 billion. The impact of member companies’ activity on the economy is significant, indirectly supporting several tens of thousands of jobs.