At a time when Romania is accelerating its energy transition and adding thousands of MW from renewable sources, the key question remains how to ensure system stability and return on investment. For Sermatec, one of the global leaders in energy storage solutions, the answer comes through turnkey BESS technologies capable of turning market volatility into a source of predictable profit. With more than 10 GWh installed in China and almost 1 GW in the pipeline for Europe, the company aims to transform Romania into a regional energy storage hub and reach a market share of more than 10% in utility scale projects. We spoke to Bogdan Cumpănașu, Country Sales Manager Romania Sermatec, about the company’s vision, the financial models that make storage attractive to investors and the strategic role of our country in the Balkan energy architecture.
Local strategy: Romania as a reference hub for energy storage
Considering the objective of becoming the preferred partner in large-scale energy storage in Romania, how have you calibrated Sermatec’s development plans to match the specific regulations and infrastructure of the national energy system?
Storage is the missing link that brings stability, flexibility, and profitability to a market under pressure.
At a time when Romania’s energy market is facing major challenges – from grid congestion and curtailment of renewable production, to extreme price volatility in the balancing market – storage solutions are becoming a critical tool for both energy security and investment profitability.
With an experience of more than 10 GWh of installed capacity in China, Sermatec aims to turn these challenges into opportunities. Romania is going through an accelerated transformation of its energy mix, with a large pipeline of renewable projects, but also clear bottlenecks in transmission and distribution infrastructure. With our turnkey BESS solutions, we provide investors with superior returns, profitability, and predictability.
As a global company with a growing European presence, our goal in Romania is to become one of the leading players in the BESS segment. We are mainly addressing utility-scale projects, and our mid-to-long-term strategy is to reach a double-digit market share.
Financial model: Predictable cash-flow for investors
How does investing in a Sermatec storage system translate into predictable cash-flow?
One of the main advantages of our solutions is that they create multiple revenue streams, and according to our financial models, investors can achieve IRRs above 20% and an ROI of 3–4 years.
First, storage systems reduce curtailment losses – meaning that renewable energy produced is almost fully monetized instead of being wasted due to grid constraints.
Second, BESS units can participate in the balancing market and ancillary services, where volatility generates attractive margins.
Third, our solutions enable energy shifting: charging at low prices and discharging at peak hours, generating additional profits.
I would also emphasize that Sermatec supports its partners from the very beginning in defining the business model: number of cycles per day, charging/discharging rates, and the optimal technical scenario to maximize profit. Our solutions are highly flexible, allowing discharging rates of 0.25C, 0.5C, or even 1C, with 1–2 cycles per day, depending on client requirements.
Our technical and R&D teams provide the best-tailored solution from the start, which is then validated together with our partners. This ensures that the investor has a clear picture of the CAPEX and a realistic ROI from day one.
In the end, we deliver a comprehensive proposal – both the technical solution and the profitability model – which gives our clients confidence and predictability.
Romania and the Balkans – A regional strategy
How will the Romanian subsidiary coordinate activities in the Balkans?
Romania is a strategic market for Sermatec, both due to the national targets in the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (INECP), and due to the urgent need for BESS to ensure energy security.
The experience we gain here is essential for neighboring markets – especially Republic of Moldova, which is becoming increasingly attractive in renewables and storage. Our solutions not only bring strong profitability and technical quality but also contribute directly to energy independence.
At the same time, Romania’s strong grid interconnections make it a natural regional hub for further expansion into Serbia, Hungary, and even Ukraine in the medium term. The role of the Romanian subsidiary is to provide expertise and coordination, enabling regional synergies and diversified storage portfolios. This offers investors broader exposure and a more balanced risk profile.
Technical innovations and differentiation
What are the key innovations that Sermatec brings to Romania?
Sermatec has a strong R&D division, with dozens of experts, and operates five production facilities in China with a total capacity of more than 15 GWh, soon to be joined by our new factory in Spain, which will become operational in 2026.
Our BESS solutions are turnkey, flexible, and fully adaptable to each client’s requirements. They include 5.015 MWh containers, PCS, and transformers, all integrated into a single architecture. This ensures that partners have one single point of contact for the entire BESS system, while we deliver the know-how, implementation, and operational expertise.
All equipment is certified according to EU standards and can be directly integrated with national grids. Moreover, we support our partners throughout all project phases: design, delivery, implementation, commissioning, and operation.
Another differentiator is our integrated approach to safety and reliability. Our BESS units are equipped with next-generation Battery Management Systems (BMS), monitoring cell-level parameters to optimize performance. In addition, the advanced Fire Safety Management ensures early detection, automatic isolation, and full system redundancy. This guarantees safe operation even under extreme temperature conditions.
Compared to other solutions on the market, our key strengths are the combination of modularity, scalability, and active protection, which ensure not only performance but also long-term durability.
Acquisition of RTB and COD projects
What criteria do you use for selecting projects in Romania?
We work closely with Chinese investors who are interested in acquiring BESS projects in Romania – either combined with solar and wind parks, or stand-alone.
The main criteria include:
- Projects with IRRs above 10%,
- A clear and detailed business model,
- Advanced development stage (RTB/COD) with complete grid connection permits,
- And, very importantly, the existence of a PPA to mitigate investment risks in Romania’s volatile market.
We understand investors’ needs and deliver solid technical-financial proposals, which are carefully analyzed together with our partners.
Our message is clear: we are here to invest and to build Romania’s BESS market, seeking strong partners for long-term, sustainable projects.”
Interested in learning more about Sermatec’s solutions?
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