Energy storage will represent an opportunity in 2026 and 2027, and the elimination of double taxation for this economic activity has made investments more attractive, president of the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) George Niculescu told a specialist conference on Friday.
"I have great confidence in the potential of energy storage. I believe it will remain a significant opportunity in 2026 and 2027. We have supported this segment by changing the regulations so that double taxation no longer applies. When I took over at ANRE, there was considerable debate on this issue: storage batteries and installations were treated as consumers. As a result, for the energy stored, operators had to pay transport and distribution tariffs, cogeneration charges, green certificates, and VAT. Then, when the energy was re-injected into the grid and consumed, those tariffs were charged again. We have now removed this burden for storage installations, making the activity far more attractive to investors. Modern industries with high energy demand, combined with nearby production capacity and possibly dedicated storage facilities, represent real solutions for building a robust energy system," George Niculescu told the ZF Energie 2025 Conference.
According to him, increasingly more consumers and companies are switching to self-consumption and modern solutions, in the context of high electricity prices, and the completion of the Iernut and Mintia power plants could generate an increase in natural gas consumption.
"The evolution of consumption is closely linked to energy prices. If prices remain high, traditional electricity consumption will stagnate, as both businesses and households turn to modern solutions. This explains the growing number of prosumers: Romanians, especially household consumers, have realized it is more advantageous to generate the energy they use themselves and to feed as little as possible into the grid - an energy-efficient way to reduce utility bills. Private companies are following the same path, with more production and storage facilities being located near major consumers. As long as energy prices stay elevated, consumption will shift toward technologies such as storage and self-consumption," the president of ANRE said at the ZF Energie 2025 Conference.
He also emphasized developments on the natural gas side: "We see the efforts made by the Romanian state and government through the Anghel Saligny program to expand gas distribution networks, particularly in rural areas, bringing living conditions in line with the standards of 2025."
"Regarding natural gas consumption, I believe we will see growth, especially among rural consumers. Once the Iernut power plant - though we have been waiting for it year after year - and the Mintia power plant are commissioned, demand will rise significantly. Together, they will add more than 2,000 MW of gas-fired capacity (1,700 MW at Iernut and 425 MW at Mintia). Although both plants will operate efficiently, their consumption of natural gas to produce electricity will inevitably put pressure on prices," Niculescu also said.
Comentează