The development of the prosumers segment must be supported in order to cover their own consumption, but its unlimited expansion generates significant costs in the market, up to 372 lei for each MWh fed into the grid, costs that will ultimately be borne by consumers, said on Monday the president of the Association of Energy Suppliers in Romania, Laurențiu Urluescu, at the launch of a specialized study.
The Association launched the ‘Study on the evolution, regulatory framework and impact of prosumers on the Romanian energy system’, conducted by ASC Xlaed Business Hub SRL.
„Romania has seen one of the fastest increases in the number of prosumers in Europe. From 303 prosumers in 2019, it reached almost 300,000 at the beginning of 2026. Installed capacity increased from less than 5 MW to around 3,400 MW by the end of 2025, and the annual generated output reached around 4.5 TWh, accounting for about 9% of Romania's total electricity production”say the study's authors.
With average annual growth rates of more than 200% over the period 2022-2024, Romania has outpaced mature markets such as Germany, Spain or Italy.
„Of course, rising electricity prices have been the main economic factor behind the emergence and spectacular development of prosumers. But, according to the study, if we relate the additional costs of the suppliers to the quantity of electricity fed into the grid by prosumers, the additional cost of each MWh produced by prosumers would be between 200 and 372 lei/MWh, which is ultimately borne by consumers”said Laurențiu Urluescu, president of AFEER, at the launch of the study, according to Agerpres.
On the other hand, he emphasized that the existence of prosumers on the internal energy market has many beneficial effects.
„Prosumers are contributing to the modernization of the energy system by: increasing the share of renewable energy; the potential to participate in balancing services through aggregation and storage; accelerating digitalization and adoption of new technologies. However, these impressive developments have significantly disrupted activity in the sector, not least because they have overlapped with the effects of the energy crisis and price caps. That is why we have commissioned this study: to better assess what is happening in the market, what is happening with distributed generation, what conclusions are being drawn and, above all, what needs to be done in the future”explained Laurențiu Urluescu.
In his opinion, „this trend cannot continue indefinitely, as the impact on the market will only increase”.
„As you know the position of the association, all our proposals are to change for the future, not for what is already in place, because we always consider that changing the rules during the game is unethical and unproductive and that is why we advocate that any changes that are necessary on the regulatory side should apply to future investments”added the President of AFEER.
The study shows that the current regulatory model generates additional costs for suppliers and network operators, which are passed on, directly or indirectly, to non-consumers. Thus, estimates indicate an annual impact in the order of tens of millions of euros for the situation in 2024, with an upward trend proportional to the number of connected prosumers.
„One of the most controversial effects, highlighted in the study, is cross-subsidization, whereby benefits to prosumers are borne by other customers in the system. As the exemption from imbalance payments applies to installations up to 400 kW - the highest threshold in Europe - Romania is at the upper limit of the exemptions allowed by European legislation. ACER's position is clear: prosumers must contribute adequately to the overall system costs (grid, system, imbalances) and exemptions should be limited to really small installations”say the authors.
Romania's distribution grids, originally designed for unidirectional energy flow, are today facing significant pressures from the rapid expansion of distributed generation. This transformation has fundamentally changed the way the grid operates, introducing bidirectional flows and unprecedented technical challenges.
In this context, the adoption of dedicated regulations integrating all the elements governing the activity of prosumers, in full alignment with the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), becomes essential.
„The rapid integration of an increasing number of prosumers is fundamentally changing the way the national energy system operates. In order for this transformation to remain sustainable in the long term, a unified regulatory framework is needed, linking decarbonization objectives with the stability of the power system and the electricity market”says Laurențiu Urluescu.
According to the research, the accelerated growth in the number of prosumers in Romania has produced significant changes in the energy market, with direct effects on its functioning and on the activity of suppliers.
„These developments are undoubtedly contributing to the objectives of the energy transition, but the scale and pace of growth require an adaptation of the regulatory framework to make it coherent, fair and sustainable for all participants in the energy system”, note the study's authors.