ANRE Approves Transelectrica's Ten-Year Grid Investment Plan

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 4, the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) approved the 2026–2035 Transmission Network Development Plan (PDRET) prepared by the national transmission system operator Transelectrica. The plan includes a total of 117 investment projects, 25 of which are new additions, covering the modernization of transmission lines and substations, the enhancement of the national 400 kV transmission ring network, the improvement of transmission and cross-border interconnection capacity, as well as the digital transformation of the grid.

ANRE also required Transelectrica to accelerate the completion of pending cross-border interconnection projects. In 2024, Romania's electricity interconnection level reached 18.5%, already exceeding the EU's 15% target. However, 2025 monitoring results show that the minimum available capacity of certain key transmission facilities on Romania's borders with Hungary and Bulgaria for cross-border electricity trading has still not fully met the relevant target, namely 70% of critical network infrastructure capacity. Transelectrica must develop an accelerated implementation plan for the unfinished projects included in both the PDRET and the Cross-Border Capacity Enhancement Action Plan, and submit it to ANRE within 30 days.

The acceleration plan will incorporate technical measures such as Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) monitoring technology and High-Temperature Low-Sag (HTLS) conductors, and will specify the role of these technologies in increasing available cross-border transmission capacity. ANRE will monitor implementation on a quarterly basis after the plan is submitted. The 2026–2035 development plan will also advance the integration of new generation and storage facilities, grid congestion management, and the development of transmission capacity between different regions.

Eight projects in the plan, comprising a total of 25 works, have been included in the Projects of Common Interest or Projects of Mutual Interest framework, including the Romania–Hungary interconnection project (PCI 2.5) and the CARMEN smart grid project (PCI 12.2). The CARMEN project involves the development of power flow monitoring, automation, and control systems; in May this year, Transelectrica secured approximately €104 million in funding from the Connecting Europe Facility for this project. The 2026–2035 planning document previously published by Transelectrica also specifies that the transmission network development over the next decade will cover grid expansion, modernization, and digitalization, with corresponding arrangements for project financing sources and expected implementation timelines.