How the rules for connecting to the energy grid will be changed, after the Prime Minister's accusations about “clever guys”
The National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) put, on Friday, in public debate, a project through which the rules for connecting to the electrical networks are to be modified. According to the document, the capacity reserved for energy projects that do not advance to the implementation phase will be unlocked. These changes come after the Prime Minister blamed “speculative, smart-boy-type investments”. First of all, the financial guarantees will increase for those who request the connection of electricity production projects to the grid.
- According to the Prime Minister, these “clever guys” obtain documentation and technical connection approvals (ATR) for investments that they do not intend to make, but only to sell. One of the most famous deals done this way was that of Mihai Cristian Ciolacu, Marcel Ciolacu's nephew, according to HotNews revelations from 2024.
The draft introduces additional selection criteria for developers applying for grid access, particularly for electricity generation capabilities.
The main target invoked by the project is the elimination of speculative projects, which block the capacity of electricity networks without reaching the construction phase.
“We need to free up these networks to open up the market for those who really want to invest and to reduce costs,” the prime minister explained.
Serious companies that want to invest in electricity production are blocked by “speculative, smart-guy-type investments,” Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan accused in an interview for Europa FM in February.
Bolojan also spoke about the unlocking of network capacities after Thursday's Government meeting, when he announced the preparation of a plan to reduce energy prices.
Connection financial guarantee increases from 5% to 20%
The most important change proposed by ANRE aims to increase the financial guarantee that developers must submit in order to obtain the technical approval for connection (ATR).
For projects with approved power for evacuation greater than 1 MW, the guarantee would increase from 5% to 20% of the value of the connection tariff.
According to ANRE, the project aims to make developers who request connection to the grid more accountable and reduce speculative capacity reservations.
The data analyzed by the authority show that the current mechanism, introduced in 2024, did not have the expected effects. Of the projects for which the 5% guarantee was established, only approximately 12% reached the stage of signing the connection contracts, and less than 1% obtained both the connection contract and the necessary authorizations for implementation.
At the same time, there are hundreds of energy projects being analyzed for connection. Only in the case of projects of at least 5 MW submitted before January 1, 2026, no less than 663 projects, with a total capacity of approximately 57 GW, have solution studies submitted to grid operators for approval.
In this context, ANRE believes that the increase in the financial guarantee will filter projects that demonstrate real economic viability and will release the capacity blocked in the networks.
Obligation to obtain establishment authorization
Developers will have the obligation to obtain the establishment authorization issued by ANRE for electricity production projects. The established deadlines are:
- maximum 12 months after signing the connection contract;
- maximum 18 months from the issuance of the technical approval for connection.
If these terms are not respected, the technical approval for connection will lose its validity, the connection contract will cease by law, and the network operator will be able to enforce the financial guarantee submitted by the developer.
The same consequence will also apply in the event of the withdrawal of the establishment authorization.
The new provisions regarding the increase of the financial guarantee will not apply to projects for which the network operators have already communicated the value of the guarantee before the entry into force of the order.
Instead, developers who signed connection agreements before the adoption of the new rules will be required to obtain a building permit no later than 12 months after the order comes into force. Otherwise, the connection notices will lose their validity and the contracts will automatically terminate.
ANRE President: There are two reading keys
George Niculescu, head of ANRE, claims that there are expected to be two keys to reading this measure.
“That is the consequence of recent public statements about speculative ATRs. Here I can say that the first amendment to the Connection Regulation, the one that established this level of 5%, was made in 2024, in my mandate. And I have been talking for 2 years about the huge ratio between megawatts on paper and those with financing, which can see the light of day”, Niculescu wrote on Facebook, referring to the first “reading key”.
“That it is a lot. That we will drive away investors. I am willing to any real and rational argument about what the value of these guarantees should be. What I am not willing to do are the tearful arguments about how any higher financial guarantee scares investors. Any higher financial guarantee scares investors who are not serious and those who are not actually investors. Serious energy investors will also pay the guarantees, they will also bid for ATR, because they want to do real business”, is the second reading key invoked by the head of ANRE.
