Gas bills, in the face of price increases of up to 35%. The first offers for the period after liberalization / A new supplier is preparing to enter the market

Several gas suppliers have started to publish offers for the population for the period after April 1, 2026, when the market will be liberalized. Now the company PPC (formerly Enel) has the highest price. At the same time, the state company Romgaz is preparing to take over the role played by Hidroelectrica when the energy market was liberalized.

The price of gas for Romanians was capped in 2022 at the level of 0.31 lei/MWh (the final price in the invoice). This ceiling was supposed to be removed on April 1, 2025, but the Government decided to extend it by one year, until April 1, 2026. The Government will liberalize the natural gas market from April 1, 2026, according to the established schedule, the Ministry of Energy announced in a response to HotNews.

Some providers have already published offers that also include periods after April 1. Prices are slightly different for each of the country's 27 gas distribution areas. HotNews analyzed those in Bucharest, where Distrigaz Sud Rețele is the distributor.

Engie, bills 16% higher

Thus, Engie has an electricity + gas offer, where the price of gas is 0.31 lei/kWh (the ceiling) until April 1 and 0.36 lei/kWh for the period after April 1, so 16% higher. An average bill for a two-room apartment, which is now 235 lei (this winter the price is capped), will thus reach 272 lei in a winter month after the removal of the cap.

This offer comes bundled with an electricity contract, where the price is 1.35 lei/kWh.

PPC – a 35% price increase. Electrica Furnizare – with 6.5% more

Another company that published a price for the post-liberalization period is Electrica Furnizare. For customers in Bucharest, connected to Distrigaz Sud, the company comes with a price of 0.33 lei/kWh for the period April 1 – July 1, 2026, 6.5% higher than the ceiling. The average bill for a two-room apartment will increase from 235 lei per month to 250 lei.

At the same time, PPC offers a final price of 0.42 lei/kWh for the period after liberalization, i.e. 35% higher than the ceiling. In this case, the average bill for a two-room apartment can reach 317 lei per month in winter.

The offer from E.ON, still awaited

Another large gas supplier, E.ON Energie Romania, did not display a final price for the post-liberalization period, but sent consumers information according to which, after liberalization, the actual gas price will be 0.21 lei/kWh. This means a final price of 0.35 lei/kWh in the invoice, similar to that of Engie, according to the publication e-nergia.ro.

The final price on the invoice is composed of the actual gas price, storage, distribution and transport tariffs, to which VAT is added.

Romgaz is preparing to play the role of Hidroelectrica on the gas market

But these are only the first offers. A major new gas supplier is set to enter the home market from the start of the year. It is about Romgaz, which until now has focused on the activity of gas production and supply to industrial consumers.

The company can have the role it played in the electricity market Hidroelectrica, a supplier that is also a producer and that came to the population with much lower prices than the rest of the companies. This also caused the other suppliers to drop their prices.

The steps taken by Romgaz

Gabriela Trâmbitaș, the financial director of the company, announced that the first deliveries of gas to individuals are estimated to take place in April 2026, with the liberalization of prices.

“We are currently developing the platform that will facilitate the relationship with customers in this new market. In parallel, we are having discussions with banks and payment processors to implement online payments, integrated directly into this platform. We are also carrying out procurement procedures for other software solutions necessary for this activity, for online contracting, call-center, etc.,” said Gabriela Trâmbitaș, quoted by Curs de Governare.

“Romgaz will thus become the second large company from the portfolio of the Ministry of Energy to enter the Romanian supply market, after Hidroelectrica. We are determined to transform this essential project into a pillar of competitiveness on the supply market, economic and social stability”, said the former Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, in January 2025.

The Association of Suppliers estimates price increases of approximately 5%

The Romanian Energy Suppliers Association (AFEER) estimates that the gas bill for the population could increase by approximately 5% from April 1, considering the prices on the wholesale market.

“At the moment, suppliers buy gas at the capped price of 120 lei per MWh. The storage part is added to this price, which is approximately 30 lei per MWh. The market price at the moment is somewhere around 170 lei,” said Laurentiu Urluescu, president of AFEER.

He added that an average bill for an apartment block with central heating is around 400 lei in a winter month.

Negotiations for a new consumer protection mechanism

In 2024, the European Commission opened an infringement procedure against Romania, because our country prolonged the capping of energy and gas prices for too long, compared to other countries. The continuation of price capping can send our country to the Court of Justice of the EU, argued the Ministry of Energy, in a response to HotNews.

However, the Romanian authorities are negotiating with representatives of the European Commission the introduction of a new protection mechanism for domestic consumers and the granting of state aid for industrial consumers, added the representatives of the ministry.

“I think it is possible to consider supporting the categories that are vulnerable even further,” said Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, at the end of last week.