Bolojan: We will give up capping gas prices. We will have an administered price for domestic consumers and for the heating agent

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced on Wednesday a series of measures that will be approved in the next Government meetings, including the replacement of the capped price for natural gas with a price administered from the producer to the final consumer, as well as for CETs.

The prime minister explained that he wants to protect citizens from a new increase in inflation. Together with the government team, including specialists from the Ministry of Energy, a transition period was designed in which the gas price cap will be abandoned, but prices will be managed along the entire chain — from production to household consumers and heating plants.

“Gas price cap: We need to take steps to remove it, but we also need to protect citizens from the possible spike in inflation, which could appear against the background of the uncontrolled increase in gas prices. Also, being a difficult year, it is normal to take these measures, considering that from 2027, Romania will have an important advantage in the sense that we will have additional gas resources in the Black Sea, which should eliminate any kind of problems with the supply, in the winter, when we have frost”, said the prime minister.

According to him, in 2027, when Romania will have this overproduction of gas, it will be able to make liberalization easier. “We propose that between April 1, 2026 – and March 31, 2027 there will be a transitional period with a price that will no longer be capped, but will be administered for domestic consumers”Bolojan added.

The Prime Minister has said that he will regulate the price for household consumers throughout the chain, from the manufacturer to the transporters, to the distributors and to the suppliers, so that the price remains stable throughout the year and there will be no further changes until next spring.

“The gas price will be administered for all household consumers and for all CETs for the amount used to generate thermal energy. There will be no ceiling for the other activities. But as the data stands, most consumers in the economy purchase gas at prices below the cap. This is how we protect the population and eliminate the problems of the past years when the capping schemes were such that they allowed some traders, suppliers, to determine the price increase, and the state had to pay the price differences and we still have arrears today“, said Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.

Hidroelectrica will have energy storage capabilities

The Prime Minister explained that, in energy, it is important to increase storage capacities. “We will put pressure on Hidroelectrica to increase its storage capacities. They should make their 500MW storage capacities, they have quite long delays. But each MW in storage means a lower price of the energy that the country purchases at peak consumption in the evening, when we do not have enough energy, and doubled by the savings made through accumulation at noon, when the energy is wasted, means an important mix for balancing the energy mix“, added the prime minister.

The Mintia and Iernut power stations need to be rushed

Bolojan stated that this year Romania must support the completion of two important gas projects. “One is the Mintia plant, tomorrow morning I will have a meeting with the investors, which are in an advanced stage. The second is the power plant from Iernut. The two power plants balance the national energy system, provide the necessary energy, given that we have closed the coal-fired power plants in these years, and add additional value from 2027 to the additional gas resource that we will have from the Black Sea“said the prime minister.

Liberty Galati will be declared an objective of strategic importance

Another important aspect is, according to Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, the action to rescue the Liberty steel plant from Galati. “We propose to declare it astrategically important targetso that we can start an international tender procedure for its takeover and ensure the safety of the compound in the coming months and the payments for the people there, in the form of aid, so that we do not lose our employees and create an important problem in the Galati area“, said Ilie Bolojan.