Romanian EPC contractor AJ BRAND currently has 1.5 GW of photovoltaic and wind capacity under construction in Romania, alongside eight substations, marking a dramatic acceleration in project scale compared to a decade ago, saud Adrian Stan, Founder & Chairman of the Board, at the “International Approach London” conference, organized by Energynomics in London.
“I remember that only 10 years ago when we were speaking about the PV sector one megawatt took us one year to execute and right now […] we are building only in Romania 1.5 gigawatt of PV and wind under construction. We have eight substations also under construction and in Spain at least the same. In PV and BESS we have 1.9 gigawatt hour under construction, so huge volume,” Stan said.
He emphasized how execution speed and project size have fundamentally changed the market dynamic. Whereas Romanian EPC companies previously handled annual turnovers of around 80 million euros, the sector is now entering a new league, with companies expecting revenues of around 300 million euros this year.
Stan pointed out that rapid growth also brings structural bottlenecks. In several projects, developers may secure permits to transport heavy equipment such as 200-ton transformers, but lack authorization to upgrade access roads, effectively blocking project execution.
Another recurring issue concerns coordination between different EPC contractors, particularly on substations and high-voltage connections. Delays in grid infrastructure can leave large capacities unable to connect for up to a year, generating significant financial costs.
“So we need to be very, very fast,” Stan said, stressing that while the current period represents a major opportunity for Romanian contractors, it also increases operational risk.
He warned that large-scale renewable projects leave no room for minor engineering errors. “In a big project very small detail will affect a lot of millions,” he noted, adding that the industry has already seen major projects impacted by technical and engineering shortcomings.
Beyond construction, Stan highlighted growing attention to ESG components, with the company investing several million euros last year in sustainability-related measures. As renewable capacity accelerates, the sector must combine speed, financial discipline and engineering precision to ensure that large-scale investments translate into long-term operational success, he concluded.
The conference “International Approach London” was organized by Energynomics, with the support of the Embassy of Romania to the UK and the British Embassy in Romania, together with our partners: AJ BRAND, Electrica, Monsson, MyEnerji, Nofar Energy, Waldevar.