Heatwaves make electricity expensive: Why Romania depends on imports when prices explode

Romania's energy market experiences significant pressure during heatwaves, marked by surging consumption and escalating wholesale prices, forcing increased reliance on imports. While high temperatures are a trigger, the underlying problem is a long-standing vulnerability in the energy system's capacity and flexibility during peak demand.

During periods of extreme heat, the demand for electricity rises sharply. Air conditioning units in homes, businesses, and industries operate intensely, placing additional strain on the national grid. This surge in demand, coupled with insufficient domestic production capacity, leads to price hikes. Dumitru Chisăliță, president of the Intelligent Energy Association, notes that heatwaves do not create the vulnerability but rather expose the system's limitations in providing adequate resources when most needed.

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Heatwaves do not create the vulnerability of the energy system, but only highlight it.

For household consumers, the immediate impact is higher electricity bills. Using air conditioning for just four hours a day can add 50-70 lei to a 10-day bill, while 12 hours of use can increase it by 150-200 lei. These costs are on top of increased refrigerator and freezer usage, which can add another 5-15 lei monthly. A typical two-room apartment's summer bill, usually between 120-180 lei, can climb significantly during a heatwave.

The situation underscores Romania's dependence on energy imports precisely when global prices are at their highest, a problem rooted in the system's inability to meet maximum demand with its own resources. The country's energy infrastructure struggles to cope with extreme weather events, revealing a critical need for enhanced flexibility and production capacity.

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Extreme temperatures are the moments when it is seen whether Romania has sufficient production sources, networks, and balancing solutions.