The National Electricity Transmission Company Transelectrica, the national transmission and system operator in Romania, signed, on Friday, May 22, 2026, as a partner, the financing contract for the CARMEN “Smart Grid” Project, worth a total of approximately 207 million euros, together with the project initiator Delgaz Grid SA, the electricity and natural gas distribution company, part of the E.ON Romania group, and ESO, the Bulgarian energy transmission operator, as a partner.
The contract was signed with representatives of the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment, in the presence of high-level participants from the European Commission.
Of the total value of the project of approximately 207 million euros, European funding represents approximately 104 million euros, provided through the European Commission’s “Connecting Europe Facility” program, dedicated to Projects of Common Interest, the difference being provided by the three partners from their own funds.
Of the total value of the project, the component falling to Delgaz Grid amounts to 77.5 million euros, of which almost 39 million euros represent non-reimbursable European funds. The component falling to Transelectrica amounts to 70.7 million euros, of which almost 35.4 million euros represent non-reimbursable European funds, and the component falling to ESO is 59.3 million euros, of which 29.6 million euros are non-reimbursable funds.
The signing ceremony of the Financing Agreement took place in Denmark, in Copenhagen, on the sidelines of the 12th edition of the Energy Infrastructure Forum held on 21-22 May, one of the most important European events dedicated to energy infrastructure. The moment has a special significance, marking the recognition at European level of the strategic importance of the Project for the energy future of the region.
The event took place in the presence of Dan Jannik Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, together with representatives of the partner companies from Romania and Bulgaria: Volker Raffel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Delgaz Grid, Daniela Mocanu, Director of European Affairs of Transelectrica and Kiril Georgiev, CEO of ESO Bulgaria.
“CARMEN is the first Project of Common Interest in the Smart Grids thematic area to obtain funding for the development and modernization of transmission and distribution networks in Romania. We have taken a very important step in carrying out this strategic project both for our companies and for the energy systems in the two countries. The project will directly contribute to increasing the capacity of the networks to take over decentralized energy. We are thus supporting renewable energy producers, future prosumers and, equally, final consumers of electricity”, declared Volker Raffel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Delgaz Grid.
“Obtaining European funding for the CARMEN project confirms the importance of developing smart energy infrastructure at regional and European level. For Transelectrica, this project represents a step towards accelerating the digitalization process of the electricity transmission network, increasing the capacity to integrate energy from renewable sources and strengthening energy security. Through close collaboration between transmission and distribution operators in Romania and Bulgaria, we are jointly contributing to the consolidation of a more flexible, more resilient and better prepared interconnected network to face the challenges of the energy transition. I congratulate those who made this project possible from a technical point of view, but equally those who made it possible to obtain this funding!”, said Ștefăniță Munteanu, President of the Directorate of the National Electricity Transmission Company Transelectrica SA.
“In Bulgaria, the modernization of the electricity transmission network under this project aims to increase its capacity in the north-east of the country, to capitalize on the potential for green electricity production and to ensure the transport of energy from renewable sources along the North-South priority corridor. The project represents a top-priority investment for the company and a continuation of efforts to respond to the challenges of the energy sector in transformation. The investments made under the CARMEN project will contribute to strengthening the stability of the network and increasing the capacity of the transmission infrastructure in South-Eastern Europe, to integrate the increasing share of new zero-emission generation capacities. European funding will allow the modernization of the network so that it adequately meets the electricity needs for clean mobility, data centers and the implementation of green hydrogen production technologies. The implementation of the project will promote cross-border cooperation between Bulgaria and Romania, as well as with neighboring countries,” said Kiril Georgiev, CEO of ESO, the Bulgarian transmission and system operator.
The CARMEN Common Interest Project aims to develop an intelligent transmission and distribution network in order to improve the quality of services provided to customers and to make investments that ensure compliance with mandatory performance standards, by modernizing and digitizing the electricity infrastructure.