The Ministry of Energy is working on instruments designed to direct public support not only towards building capacity, but also towards the services that such assets can provide to the system, from inertia and stability to adequacy. A scheme for pumped-storage hydropower plants is already being prepared, said Sorin Elisei, Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy, during the workshop “Power system adequacy in a changing climate”. The discussion took place during the launch conference for the Code of Good Practice in Renewables, 2026 edition, organised by RWEA and RPIA. Moderated by Gabriel Avăcăriței, the discussion focused on the impact of climate change, data and new sources of flexibility on power system operation and adequacy.
Support for services provided to the system
The direction described by Elisei shifts the focus from simply financing a technology to the value it can bring to system operation. For pumped-storage hydropower plants, the criteria may include their contribution to inertia, grid stability and adequacy, not only the opportunity to buy and sell electricity at different times.
“We are currently working on a state aid scheme for pumped-storage hydropower plants,” Elisei said. He explained that the ministry is examining how a unit that effectively contributes to system stability could be rewarded. Under such an approach, public support would be guided by technical needs, while Transelectrica would have a natural role in identifying the services required and, potentially, in administering the associated mechanisms.
The need for such instruments also stems from a limitation in the way the market currently operates: the technical availability of a power plant does not automatically mean that it will generate when the system needs it. Market participation is voluntary, while operating and investment decisions depend on the profitability of the unit.
For adequacy, the distinction is essential. The system may need a particular resource at a critical moment, but the owner must also have the economic incentive to make it available. This creates the need for mechanisms that explicitly remunerate services that are useful to the system, not only the electricity generated or the installed capacity.
Models and energy policy must be adapted to climate risk
For Elisei, adequacy cannot be addressed only through new capacity and market mechanisms. Models already exist, including at European level, but the quality of the assumptions and their calibration to Romania’s specific conditions are essential. Data on climate change, hydrological conditions, maintenance periods, capacity availability and the actual possibility of importing electricity must be included in an assessment that reflects real system operating conditions as closely as possible.
The same approach must be extended to investment and infrastructure. Elisei pointed to the need to incorporate resilience more clearly into grid planning, to manage water resources strategically, given that they also serve purposes beyond electricity generation, and to align the development of renewables with grid investment and with resources capable of supporting the system during difficult periods. In his view, investment decisions ultimately depend on the market framework, regulation and the economic instruments available, making broader coordination between institutions necessary, including with the Ministry of Finance.
Elisei extended the conclusion to the institutional level as well: climate change can no longer remain separate from energy policy, given its impact on hydropower generation, consumption, grid operation and the need for reserve capacity. Following this logic, he argued that Romania needs a ministry of energy and climate change and greater institutional capacity dedicated to integrating climate risk into energy decisions.
The Code of Good Practice in Renewables is an initiative of RWEA and RPIA. The third edition, produced in 2026 with the involvement of Energynomics, benefited from the contribution of partners AI Clearing, Alerion, CMS, DLA Piper, Enercon, Enery, Enevo, Eximprod, GE Vernova, Monsson, Nordex, Nyerges and Partners, OX2, Parapet, Raiffeisen, REIB, Scatec, TDP, Vestas and Waldevar. The Code was launched on October 1 at a conference held in Bucharest and is available free of charge, including in electronic format.