With experts warning that the Romanian grid’s transition to greener energy sources is happening too slowly, a prominent power equipment supplier is reporting growth in demand for turnkey generator solutions from the nation’s energy-intensive industries.
Under Romania’s EU-mandated National Energy and Climate Policy commitments, the country needs to increase its overall share of renewables in gross final energy consumption to 30.7% by 2030, translating to a 43.7% drop in greenhouse gas emissions[1]. Though experts from the Intelligent Energy Association and European Parliament have welcomed the country’s plans, they have also flagged that the continued slow pace of green energy projects may hamper progress[2].
Faced with tightening environmental legislation and non-household electricity prices that rank the highest in the EU per KWh, the role of on-site turnkey energy solutions has expanded[3]. This is according to Adrian Dinu, Area General Manager, Eastern Europe for Aggreko, who has seen an increase in enquiries for more sustainable and efficient decentralised generator technologies to help mitigate unplanned downtime, boost resilience and preserve bottom lines. He also notes growing interest in using these solutions as a revenue-generating opportunity through exporting energy to Romania’s grid.
“The EU has been extremely helpful in supporting Romania’s drive toward a more resilient and sustainable national grid, but as the EU and IEA have pointed out, progress has been slow,” he said. “While the nation’s ambitious plans are to be welcomed, recent newspaper reports have shown that existing green generation capacity failed to increase over 2022[4].
“Alongside this, energy prices have fluctuated wildly over the past few years, with gas, which constitutes a prominent portion of Romania’s national energy mix, being highly affected. This uncertainty, combined with pressures to decarbonise, has led to industry taking more immediate steps to safeguard operations, boost resilience and control pricing volatility.
“Turnkey solutions provide a swift way of doing so in both the long and short-term, allowing organisations to decentralise and decarbonise site energy at the same time. It is therefore unsurprising we have seen demand for bespoke power projects grow in the past few years.”
Crucial to the provision of these turnkey solutions is an extensive network of supplier depots to allow for more responsive support. Aggreko, for example, is celebrating 10 years of operations in Romania, having opened its first premises near Bucharest in 2013. The company now employs over 70 personnel across 20 sites to provide complete turnkey energy solutions. As well as this, Aggreko’s Romania-based services have expanded to include supplying, installing and operating on-site cooling, chilling and loadbank testing equipment, alongside project design and fuel management services.
“Under our One Europe strategy, we are highly committed to sharing our technical capabilities and equipment portfolio without geographical barriers,” Adrian concludes. “The expansion of our operations in Romania is an excellent example of this approach in action. Going from almost nothing a decade ago, we now have more than 175MW of projects in operation 24/7 to support the country’s industry, including almost 6MW in solar and batteries, and over 25MW in thermal power.
“These new, greener technologies, alongside Stage V generators and hybrid battery solutions, will be crucial to reducing emissions and expensive fuel consumption. This is why we are investing millions through our Greener Upgrades initiative to grow their presence in our pan-European equipment portfolio. “We are also sharing our expertise across the continent. For instance, Aggreko has observed the ongoing impact the threat of grid shortfalls and soaring energy prices has had across both Romanian and wider European industries. These pressures will require a continent-wide approach if they are to be mitigated, so it is vital plant stakeholders seek suppliers capable of providing solutions and support on a similar scale.”
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