Romania’s net electricity imports increased by 82.08% to 135.72 GWh in the week to 20 September. The rise coincided with lower variable renewable generation and greater reliance on cross-border supply.
Romanian wind and solar output fell by 25.9%, while hydropower generation dropped by 13.50%. Electricity demand also declined, down 5.83% to 866.61 GWh. Despite the lower consumption, imports rose during the same period.
Cross-border flows with Bulgaria and day-ahead pricing
The change widened the gap between Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria in net trade. Bulgaria remained a net exporter of 247.47 GWh, although its export balance fell by 9.90% from the previous week.
Romanian day-ahead power averaged €177.36/MWh, compared with €162.07/MWh in Bulgaria, a premium of about €15/MWh. The figures point to a potential weekly price spread between the two markets.
Transmission constraints and market conditions
The import and price movements reflect conditions that may support cross-border trading, rather than a guaranteed return on any specific transaction. Whether a weekly price gap can be captured depends on available transmission capacity, hourly prices, and the cost of securing capacity.
Romania’s weekly average price was nearly unchanged despite the higher import volume. With weaker domestic renewable and hydro output increasing reliance on neighbouring systems, the volume shift became the more direct indicator alongside falling electricity consumption.