Accelerating the Energy Transition in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania through Renewable Acceleration Areas

Given Europe’s mounting climate ambitions and in the wake of the energy security crisis caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine, the European Union has adopted a new wave of legislative instruments, most notably the REPowerEU Plan and the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). These frameworks task Member States with facilitating a swift deployment of renewable energy through spatial planning and the creation of Renewable Energy Acceleration Areas (RAAs). This policy position provides a strategic analysis of progress, barriers, and recommendations for Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania. It explains the challenges and makes recommendations for faster development of renewable energy in...

Guarantees of Origin: Market Tool or Missed Opportunity?

Guarantees of Origin can provide an additional revenue stream for RES producers Romania is in process of designing its Guarantee of Origin (GO) scheme with the intention of transparently communicating where consumer energy comes from. However, the scheme can target multiple aims at once, if designed carefully. European businesses are under pressure to deliver their products and services with a green mandate. Romania has leverage here; selling its renewable energy to companies can ensure their ESG targets are met and, in turn, shift financing for renewable energy development from the public sector onto the private sector. However, current GO schemes...

The Hidden Risks of Romania’s Supercharged CfD Cost Reduction

The second CfD auction clears at record low solar prices, but fails to meet quota for wind The second Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction has cleared at record low solar prices, but has failed to meet quota for wind. For wind power, the total tendered capacity was 2 GW, with a maximum strike price of €80/MWh. The concluded contracts, though, cover 60% of the intended capacity, with the lowest strike price going down to €65.17/MWh (a 211 MW project in the Constanța county). The full intended capacity for solar was procured with 1.49 GW of capacity awarded contracts. The lowest...

România în fața renunțării graduale la cărbune: O alegere dificilă, dar necesară

Discuțiile recente din spațiul public privind prelungirea funcționării centralelor pe cărbune sub motivul securității energetice reflectă capacitatea administrativă limitată a României de a gestiona înlocuirea acestor centrale cu alternative moderne, de a asigura reconversia profesională a angajaților și de a atrage fonduri europene destinate acestor investiții, precum și lipsa unui plan coerent de tranziție către surse sustenabile de energie. În anul 2025, securitatea energetică nu mai poate fi evaluată exclusiv prin prisma capacităților existente de generare sau a rezervelor de combustibili fosili. Securitatea energetică nu se rezumă la cât de multă energie putem produce în mod convențional, ci depinde și...

Hydrogen: A Story of Strategic Autonomy

At a time when reducing import dependence is taking centre stage, green hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels are a large piece of the puzzle, as they play a key role in decoupling hard-to-abate sectors from fossil fuel dependence. By 2050, hydrogen is expected to be implemented at scale in long-distance transport and heavy industries, accounting for 80% of the final energy consumption in shipping and aviation, and used to produce 44% of the iron needed for steelmaking. Hydrogen can contribute to the strategic autonomy of the European Union in several ways. First, it can do so directly by reducing reliance on...

The Future of Industrial Carbon Management in the EU: Findings from the Horizon 2020 ConsenCUS Project

Industrial carbon management (ICM) has seen an increasing uptick in supportive policies, commercial-scale projects, and innovation action in the EU in recent years. Policy frameworks under the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), the Clean Industrial Deal, and the ICM Strategy are poised to further direct resources towards ICM projects as part of the EU’s technological portfolio for achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Despite these promising advances, important barriers remain in the deployment of ICM at pace and scale in Europe. With many of the challenges faced by ICM being increasingly acknowledged by policymakers, the ongoing Horizon 2020 ConsenCUS project can...

Transforming Romania’s Fertiliser Industry: Managing Trade-offs between Different Ammonia Pathways

Romania’s fertiliser production is struggling Despite a long history stretching back to the early 20th century, Romania’s fertiliser industry has significantly contracted since the end of the communist regime. Before 1989, Romania had 11 fertiliser plants, which have since then closed down as part of a prolonged deindustrialisation. Today, only the Azomureş plant in central Romania is still operational, and is considered pivotal to the national agricultural sector. It has an annual production capacity of 1.8 million tonnes of nitrogen-based fertilisers and mostly serves domestic consumers. Against the background of an already-increasing Europe-wide dependence on imported fertilisers, Romania’s dependence on...

Accelerarea viitorului regenerabil al României: un cadru de politică publică pentru planificarea spațială integrată a zonelor de accelerare a energiei regenerabile

Accelerating Romania’s Renewable Future: A Policy Framework for Integrated Spatial Planning of Renewable Energy Acceleration Areas

This policy position outlines Romania’s progress, challenges, and recommendations in implementing Renewable Energy Acceleration Areas (RAAs) in alignment with the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), as well as expert recommendations for making this process effective and sustainable. The paper is part of RENewLand project, which aims to ensure sustainable and science-based approaches for the designation of renewable acceleration areas across three Eastern European countries: Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary. Drawing on expertise from other European states, the project focuses on building capacity among public authorities, industry associations, civil society, and academia to undertake integrated spatial planning for renewable energy. By...