Romania risks losing precious time in the energy transition if it does not accelerate legislative processes and does not assume clear priorities regarding mature renewable energy technologies. According to Marta Sturzeanu, Policy Officer at the Romanian Wind Energy Association (RWEA), our country has to replace, in the very near future, 1 GW of wind capacity that has reached the end of its technical lifespan. It is a crucial moment: repowering these parks means not only avoiding the loss of an already installed capacity, but also the opportunity to increase it, through more efficient and more efficient technologies.
“Based on our internal analysis, approximately 1 GW of wind energy is or will be at the limit of its operating period in the near future. Which is why we have already initiated a working group dedicated to this topic, to identify solutions to replace aging technology with more efficient models,” said Marta Sturzeanu during the “Voices of the Industry” session at the 11th Energy Strategy Summit, the flagship event of Energynomics.
This reality makes the full transposition of the RED III Directive, a key document of European policy in the field of renewable energy, even more pressing. Sturzeanu stressed that, although Romania has made some progress, the transposition is not completed and the effective implementation is delayed. The draft Ordinance amending OUG 163/2022 has been put out for public consultation, but has not yet been approved, largely due to the limitations of an interim government. “The objectives that are included in this document, namely some clear responsibilities and clear deadlines regarding guarantees of origin, the identification of RES acceleration areas, that single point of contact regarding permitting – all of these, in addition to many others, have not yet been addressed,” explained the RWEA representative.
RED III is not a simple programmatic document – it is a legislative architecture designed to accelerate the energy transition, offering investors predictability, clear deadlines and simpler administrative paths. Therefore, the delay in transposition affects not only the pace of reforms, but also the appetite for new investments. “RED III brings significant challenges, but Romania is not the only one facing implementation difficulties,” added Sturzeanu.
In addition to repowering and RED III, RWEA is closely monitoring changes regarding grid connection. ANRE Order 20/2025, which brought changes to the connection regime, was well received by the industry. However, a degree of uncertainty persists regarding the practical application of the new provisions.
In this context, Marta Sturzeanu highlighted the importance of a stable and predictable framework. Investors need to know that what they have been promised at the legislative level will be respected. Romania has ongoing projects, has investment interest, has considerable wind resources – but all of this can be compromised by administrative hesitations or legislative incoherence.
At the end of the intervention, the RWEA representative also offered an optimistic note. She confirmed that “there is a significant number of MW in development”, and the first tender for contracts for difference (CfD) – which provided operating support for 1,500 MW – was a step in the right direction. The second round, which is to allocate up to 3,500 MW, is awaited with great interest. “We are optimistic that projects will happen. But we need to promptly and decisively resolve the bottlenecks that still persist – from land regulations to consultations with the Ministry of Defense or aeronautical authorities.”
2025 Energy Strategy Summit was organised by Energynomics, with the support of our partners: AJ Brand, Elektra Renewable Support, ABB, Adrem Asset Management, Alive Capital, BCR, DEKRA, Distribuție Energie Electrică Romania, E-Infra, Eaton Electric, Electrica Furnizare, EnergoBit, Enery, Enevo Group, Enexus, European Investment Bank, Evryo, Exim Banca Romaneasca, Delgaz Grid, Genesis Biopartner, Huawei, ING Bank, Jantzen Renewables, Keno Energy, Leader Team, LONGi, Nano Energies, Prime Batteries Technology, Procesio, Procredit Bank, Relians, Renomia, Romgaz, Schneider Electric, script.ai, Sermatec, smartPulse, Solar Today, SolaX, Think Blu Solution, Voltika, Wiren, YEO, AIployees, Aqua Carpatica, Alexandrion, Carbon Tool, Imsol.