Ondrej Safar, Country Manager of Evryo România, used his intervention at 2025 Energynomics Awards Gala to frame 2025 not through the usual narrative of crisis, but through responsibility, safety, and the lived reality of transition. Instead of declaring it the “most difficult year,” he chose to look at what truly mattered both operationally and at a human level. His most personal benchmark of success was neither financial nor technical, but deeply concrete. “The biggest achievement […] is that we get all our employees and all the employees of our partners safe home.” For Safar, in a sector exposed to permanent operational risk, safety remains the first non-negotiable performance indicator.
From this human foundation, Safar moved to the structural shift that, in his view, truly defines 2025: the moment when energy transition stopped being an abstract policy concept and became an operational stress test for the entire European power system. He illustrated this through the tension felt at dispatching level across the continent, describing how system operators faced unprecedented uncertainty around Easter. “For me 2025 is the year when we started to feel energy transition and what it means,” he said, underlining that volatility, intermittency and system balancing are no longer theoretical challenges, but daily realities that test the resilience of networks and operators alike.
This systemic pressure is already visible in hard numbers and investment flows. Safar pointed to the explosive growth of distributed generation, noting that by the end of the year Romania will exceed 3,000 MW of rooftop solar installed on customers’ houses. At the same time, he emphasized that 2025 also marks the first year of substantial new investments in large-scale renewable generation, alongside a visible wave of storage projects brought forward by distribution operators. For Evryo, these developments signal not just momentum, but the beginning of a structural reconfiguration of how electricity systems are built and operated.
Safar also addressed the social and economic tension triggered by the end of the price cap mechanism. With consumers now directly exposed to market prices, public debate around energy costs has intensified sharply. He acknowledged that 2025 brought “heated discussions” not only within the energy sector, but also with other industries and with public authorities. Yet, despite disagreements, he highlighted a shared strategic objective that emerged across all these dialogues: restoring competitiveness to the Romanian economy through sustainable energy pricing. This convergence of purpose, even amid conflict, is in his view one of the most constructive outcomes of the year.
Looking ahead, Safar expressed cautious confidence that this shared objective can translate into concrete progress. With the right mindset, he believes that 2026 can be the year when structural corrections truly begin to take shape. He closed his intervention by returning to the human dimension that opened his speech, wishing safety to all those working in the sector. The transition, in his message, is not just about megawatts, markets and policies, but about people who must navigate uncertainty every single day.
Since 2013, the awards offered by Energynomics have served to recognize and reward success and best practices in Romania’s energy sector. This year’s Energynomics partners were: AJ Brand, Elektra Renewable Support, 4P Renewables, ABB, Adrem Asset Management, BCR, CIGA Energy Advisory, CJR Renewables, DRI, E.On, Eaton, Electrica Furnizare, Electrogrup, EnergoBit, Enery, Enevo Group, Enexus, ETH Group, Exim Banca Românească, GoodWe, Hidroelectrica, IO Partners, Keno, Lemetal, Marsh, Nano Energies, Noark Electric, Nofar Energy, Nuclearelectrica, OX2, Parapet, Photomate, ProCredit Bank, Prime Batteries Technology, RCI Holding, Renomia Gallagher, Romgaz, Rompetrol, Siemens Energy. Sigenergy, SolarToday, SolaX Power, Sunotec, Sunwire, Think Blu Solutions, Transelectrica, Voltika, Waldevar, Wiren, Yeo, Alexandrion, Artesana, Aqua Carpatica, Domeniile Samburesti, Imsol, Killian, Sixt.
Strategic partners for the 2025 Energynomics Awards were ACCER, ACUE, AFEER, AHK, AIIR, CCIpR, CIGRE Romania, CNR-CME, CRE, EFdeN, EPG, FPE, HENRO, PATRES, RPIA, RWEA.