Central and Eastern European Clean Energy Industry Alliance, a coalition of independent power producers, EPC contractors, developers and financial investors active across CEE, has sent a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, warning that a potential restriction on EU-funded clean energy projects using inverters and power conversion systems from suppliers considered “high-risk” could have a disproportionate impact on the region’s energy transition.
The expression “high-risk suppliers” refers, in this context, to inverter and power conversion system suppliers from countries considered by the European Commission to pose elevated cybersecurity or strategic-dependency risks for critical energy infrastructure. According to sector reports and industry reactions, the countries mentioned in connection with the EU funding restrictions are China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, with the practical impact falling primarily on Chinese inverter and PCS manufacturers, which currently represent a major part of global and European clean-energy supply chains. The Commission’s concern is that remotely connected inverters and PCS equipment could, if insufficiently secured, expose electricity networks to unauthorised access, data risks or operational interference.
In the letter dated 7 July 2026, the alliance says it supports the European Commission’s objective of strengthening cybersecurity and strategic autonomy in critical energy infrastructure. However, it argues that an origin-based restriction targeting suppliers from countries classified as high-risk, rather than a technical cybersecurity assessment of each product and integration architecture, could delay or halt projects already in advanced development, construction or commissioning, without directly addressing the cybersecurity risk the measure is meant to reduce. The alliance says such risks should be managed through supplier-neutral cybersecurity controls, technical audits and certification, rather than by excluding equipment solely on the basis of origin.
The concern is particularly relevant for Central and Eastern Europe, where the letter says clean energy projects depend more heavily on EU grants, guarantees and blended finance than projects in Western Europe. Programmes such as the Modernisation Fund, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, cohesion funds, InvestEU and the Just Transition Fund are described as decisive for the bankability of many solar, wind and battery energy storage system projects in the region.
According to the alliance, CEE is expected to add 20–25 GW of clean energy capacity and 30 GWh of BESS annually in the coming years. At the same time, the EU manufacturing base for inverters is estimated at around 82 GW per year, below the 120 GW per year of solar, wind and storage installations needed annually to meet EU climate targets. The letter argues that BESS is the most exposed segment, due to limited availability of EU-made PCS solutions, longer commissioning timelines and a shortage of qualified service teams.
The companies – many of them operating in Romania, too – warn that forcing a rapid change of inverter or PCS suppliers in projects already under development would not be a simple procurement substitution. It could require electrical redesign, new grid-code compliance studies, revised commissioning schedules, renegotiation of EPC and long-term service contracts, and changes to financing assumptions. This could put at risk grid connection deadlines, performance bonds, support scheme milestones, power purchase agreements and flexibility service agreements.
The alliance also points to examples where rapid deployment of renewables and storage has already supported regional energy security. It mentions Bulgaria’s fast-growing BESS market, the Baltic States’ synchronisation with Continental Europe after leaving the Russia- and Belarus-controlled BRELL system, and Poland’s Modernisation Fund-backed storage pipeline with binding 2028 deadlines.
Instead of a blanket origin-based restriction, the signatories call for a cybersecurity- and risk-based qualification framework applied equally to all suppliers, regardless of origin. They also ask for mandatory import-stage technical audits, a comprehensive impact assessment, structured industry consultation, protection for projects already in advanced stages, and a realistic transition period lasting at least until 2030, linked to verified EU and allied manufacturing ramp-up.
For Romania, the issue is directly relevant to the renewable energy and storage pipeline, where EU funding, grid connection timelines and bankability remain critical factors for project delivery. The letter suggests that any new eligibility criteria for EU funding should be predictable, proportionate and aligned with the pace at which alternative supply chains can realistically scale.
Signatory companies: R.Power S.A., RGreen Invest, Blackvolt Energy, CCE Holding GmbH, Core Value Capital GmbH, CWP Europe S.a.r.l., Econergy International Limited, Eiffel Investment Group SAS, Electron Holding Zrt., Enery Development GmbH, Energy Transition International Capital, Eurohold Bulgaria AD, European Energy A/S, Eurowind Energy A/S, Goldbeck Solar GmbH, Green Genius International, Green Source GmbH, ID Energy Group, Qair International, PAD RES Development Sp. z o.o., Rubis Photosol SAS, Qair Polska S.A., RP Global Energy GmbH, Renalfa IPP, Renalfa Power Clusters, Rezolv Energy s.r.o., Solars Energy EAD, Sunly AS, Sunotec Group, Taaleri Energia Oy, TDI Renewables Ltd, Toki Power Holding GmbH, Volta Investissements, Solarpro Holding LTD, Corsica Sole.