The project permitting process needs to be accelerated, and ANRE will carry out inspections of distribution system operators (DSOs) to determine why 2-3 MW projects are being kept in testing for 12-18 months, said George Niculescu, president of ANRE, at the “Romania’s Green Momentum” conference, organised by Energynomics. George Niculescu also announced that ANRE will soon introduce new authorisations for energy traders in an effort to discourage speculative practices.

“We see small photovoltaic projects, with installed capacities of 2 MW-3 MW, that remain in testing for 18 months, held up by distribution operators. 12-18 months in testing… [We are talking about] projects coming to us to extend their establishment authorisation because they have not completed their testing period. I cannot help but wonder: what exactly is being tested for 18 months on a 2 MW photovoltaic project?!” The regulatory authority will launch an extensive inspection programme this autumn to determine why some projects remain in the testing phase for so long. “Because there is little point in us increasing our administrative capacity … if the distribution operators do not increase theirs as well. Otherwise, the effort is wasted,” George Niculescu said.

First announcement: New authorisations for traders

“One measure we have been considering and want to implement this autumn is to strengthen the trading rules on the energy market. And I want to make an announcement here for the first time. There is little point in ANRE sanctioning companies for manipulating the energy market with fines calculated as a percentage of turnover if the person who places the sell or buy order for that amount of energy faces no consequences. By the end of the year, we will introduce an authorisation for energy traders, to be issued by ANRE, following the model used by ASF, which authorises brokers trading on the capital market. This will contribute to the maturity of the energy market and give greater weight to the profession of energy trader. When your personal licence is at stake and your track record of transactions on the energy market risks being affected, you will think five times before placing a trading order at a misleading price without already having secured the relevant quantities of energy in advance.” The head of ANRE described these changes as “a way of bringing greater maturity and discipline to the energy market and to those trading on the energy market”.

The ANRE president specified that transitional rules and an adjustment period will be introduced.

Autor: Bogdan Tudorache

Active in the economic and business press for the past 26 years, Bogdan graduated Law and then attended intensive courses in Economics and Business English. He went up to the position of editor-in-chief since 2006 and has provided management and editorial policy for numerous economic publications dedicated especially to the community of foreign investors in Romania. From 2003 to 2013 he was active mainly in the financial-banking sector. He started freelancing for Energynomics in 2013, notable for his advanced knowledge of markets, business communities and a mature editorial style, both in Romanian and English.