The major power consumers, which negotiate their own power supply contracts used 18% more electricity than in 2013. Overall consumption in Romania rose by only 2%, which is still a good thing after two years of decline, but a question arises: where did this ‘appetite for electricity’ of the industrial sector come from?
“We want to have a more detailed monitoring of end consumers as of next year,” says Emil Calota, vice-president of energy market watchdog ANRE.
Although there was a rebound in the demand for electricity especially in the services sector, the main reason for the 18% increase in demand from the industrial sector is actually the migration of the small consumers from the regulated to the free market, following the adjustment of the deregulation schedule, Calota says.
On the other hand, there are many industrial facilities built during the crisis, which might account for the rebound in the demand for power, after consumers the size of Oltchim or Arpechim closed.
Martin Zmelik, general manager of CEZ Romania, a company that distributes power in Oltenia, said in an interview not long ago that even though large consumers were still showing signs of weakness, smaller customers were going strong.
For instance, the Lufkin plant in Ploiesti, which was completed in mid 2013, shipped about 1,000 oil drills abroad last year, each of which costing $25,000 to $150,000. The plants Bosch and De’Longhi opened in Cluj have almost filled the void left by Nokia’s abrupt departure in 2011. A number of production facilities in the construction materials sector were completed in 2013, such as those of Adeplast, Henkel and Saint Gobain.
Moreover, a number of companies have announced expansion of production facilities in the last few years, such as the Coca-Cola plant in Ploiesti, following a EUR22 million investment.
New investments have been announced lately, as well, among which the sweets plant of Turkey’s ETI in Craiova and the new oil equipment plant (Snamprogetti) in Ploiesti.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)