Romania’s gas strategy falters as battery capacity surges – NGO

29 September 2026, Montel Markets

Romania’s battery storage capacity has expanded rapidly and is already providing grid flexibility, while the ongoing energy crisis has exposed the country’s failings in focusing on delayed gas projects, NGO CEE Bankwatch Network said on Friday.

The summer heatwave resulted in the Danube and other rivers diminishing to record lows, which put the energy system under severe pressure. Amid the lack of cooling resources, both reactors at the 1.35 GW Cernavoda nuclear plant – which normally provides around 20% of the country’s electricity – remain offline.

The crisis had shone a light on Romania’s failure to replace around 3 GW of coal capacity, retired since 2020, with sufficient flexible generation, said Raluca Petcu, Bankwatch’s gas campaigner for Romania.

The country had planned to add 2 GW of gas capacity by August 2026, but several projects have been delayed or cancelled.

Batteries provided around 100 GWh in August and at times covered up to 8% of consumption during evening peaks, according to TSO Transelectrica’s data, cited by Bankwatch.

The TSO adequacy study estimates that up to 3.3 GW of additional storage could be needed by 2030, allowing gas generation to be limited to 3.6 GW and coal to 70 MW. Romania’s national energy and climate plan, by contrast, envisages at least 5.8 GW of gas generation by 2030.

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