ROMANIA: Transelectrica will implement a development plan worth 9.49 billion lei over the next 10 years

The National Electricity Transmission Company Transelectrica S.A. will implement a development plan worth 9.49 billion lei of the Electricity Transmission Network for the period 2024 – 2033, approved by the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE), over two billion lei more than the previous plan, the company informs in a press release.

The new plan includes investment projects already underway, as well as 12 new projects, structured on four priority development axes: RET retrofitting/modernization, consumer supply security, integration of production from renewable sources and from new power plants in Dobrogea and Moldova, and increasing interconnection capacity.

According to the cited source, the value of the RET Development Plan, for a period of ten years, records an increase of 2.3 billion lei compared to the amount allocated in the period 2022 – 2031. In this regard, the structure of investment expenditures, in terms of the priority objectives pursued, is: investment works aimed at re-technologizing existing electricity transmission networks (RET) – 30% of the total value of investments planned in the period is allocated; investment works aimed at integrating production from renewable sources and other new power plants – 28% of the total value of investments planned in the period is allocated; investments planned to increase interconnection capacity – 26% of the total value of investments planned in the period is allocated; investments intended to increase the security of electricity supply – 13% of the total value of investments planned in the period is allocated.

Thus, Transelectrica proposes, for the next 10 years, investment projects worth almost 2.7 billion lei intended for the integration of new renewable energy production units, both in Dobrogea and Moldova, and in other areas.

The largest share of the investments planned for the next decade is for projects to re-engineer and modernize the electricity grid, respectively approximately 2.9 billion lei. Also, considering the 15% interconnection objective for 2030, respectively achieving the 7,000 MW target for cross-border exchange capacity, the investment projects planned in the next 10 years to increase the degree of interconnection have a value of over 2.4 billion lei. Investments of over 1.2 billion lei are planned to increase the security of electricity supply.

Of the total value of the RET Development Plan 2024 – 2033, of 9.49 billion lei, the financing structure of the projects will be: 66% regulated transmission tariff, 17% revenues from capacity allocation and 17% non-reimbursable European funds.

The list of the 12 new announced projects includes, among others: modernization of the protection control command system in the 220/110/20 kV FAI substation; modernization of the protection control command system in the 400 kV Bacău Sud and Roman Nord substations; modernization of the protection control command system in the 400/220/110 kV Gutinaș substation; installation of a second 400/110 kV transformer in the Suceava substation; increasing the transmission capacity of the 220 kV Bucharest Sud – Fundeni overhead line; the construction of the second circuit of the 400 kV Oradea – Bekescsaba Overhead Power Line and related works in the 400 kV Nădab substation.

At the same time, the RET Development Plan includes projects of European interest that contribute to the implementation of the European Union’s strategic priorities regarding trans-European energy infrastructure in the following investment clusters: Project 138 ‘Black Sea Corridor’, Project 144 ‘Mid Continental East Corridor’, Project 259 Hungary – Romania and Project 341 North CSE Corridor.