Against the backdrop of record-low water levels and flows on the Danube, which have already constrained electricity generation at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant and placed additional pressure on Romania’s power system, the Romanian Government adopted last week, at an extraordinary meeting, a Government Decision on the adoption of safety measures on the electricity market.

The decision creates the necessary legal framework for C.N.T.E.E. Transelectrica S.A., through the National Energy Dispatch Centre, to order, until 31 August 2026, a series of safety measures if developments in the National Power System require them. These measures may be taken during periods when an electricity deficit is recorded, in the following order of priority:

• Increasing technological system reserves at generating units capable of operating on alternative fuels, with a view to their use;
• Starting generating units held in technical reserve and available to the National Energy Dispatch Centre;
• Reducing/cancelling the available interconnection capacity in the export direction;
• Reducing/cancelling notified exchanges in the export direction;
• Staggered limitation of electricity consumption between 19:00 and 23:00, under the conditions established by the Electricity Consumption Limitation Regulation, a document that covers only large industrial consumers and does not apply to household consumers.

The decision does not automatically result in a reduction in consumption and does not oblige Transelectrica to impose restrictions if the technical conditions justifying such a measure are not met. Its actual implementation will depend on technical assessments of the state of the National Power System and on the actual need to balance it. The decision creates the necessary legal framework for using this measure of last resort if Transelectrica’s technical analyses show that the other available measures are no longer sufficient to maintain the safe operation of the National Power System.

The actual application of the Regulation, either in full or only for certain stages of limitation, may be ordered by Transelectrica solely on the basis of the system’s actual balancing needs and only for the period during which technical conditions justify it. The affected final consumers will be informed individually, in writing, at least 24 hours before the measure is applied, specifying the start time, the period of application and the stage or stages activated.

Household and residential consumers are exempt from the Electricity Consumption Limitation Regulation and from the Manual Disconnection Regulation. Categories of consumers whose interruption could endanger the life, health or safety of people, or could have serious consequences for critical technological processes, are also protected. These include hospitals and other medical facilities, emergency services, certain critical industrial installations, water supply systems and other essential infrastructure, under the conditions laid down in the applicable regulations. Therefore, the mechanism currently being discussed in the public space does not represent a general programme for interrupting electricity supplies to the population or essential services.

Prior to the adoption of the decision, the Romanian Government approved, at its meeting on 6 August 2026, the Electricity Risk Preparedness Plan, a framework document establishing measures for preventing, preparing for and managing risk situations in the electricity sector, the responsibilities of the institutions involved, and the sequence of measures that may be applied gradually to maintain the safe operation of the National Power System.

In view of the information and interpretations that have appeared in the public space in recent days, as well as the risk of confusion between the approval of the Risk Preparedness Plan and the possibility of actually applying consumption limitation measures, the Ministry of Energy and C.N.T.E.E. Transelectrica S.A. have issued the following clarifications to ensure that the public is properly informed and to prevent the spread of fake news:

1. At the first stage, technical measures and measures based on market mechanisms are applied to maintain the balance of the system.

Transelectrica uses available generation resources, reserves, cross-border exchanges, requests for assistance from neighbouring electricity system operators and other operational measures.

2. At the next stage, voluntary reductions in electricity consumption are requested.

If Transelectrica’s analyses indicate that developments in consumption and generation availability are likely to result in an imbalance, voluntary consumption reduction measures are requested. Consumers that can safely reschedule part of their consumption can help balance the system, particularly during the evening period from 19:00 to 23:00.

Economic operators that have the technical ability to reschedule certain activities can contribute to system balancing, particularly during peak consumption periods. Voluntary reductions must not affect public health, the safety of installations, employee protection, critical technological processes or essential public services.

3. Mandatory consumption limitation is a measure of last resort, applicable only if technical measures and market mechanisms are insufficient to maintain the safe operation of the National Power System.

If, following technical analyses, Transelectrica determines that the measures previously applied are insufficient to maintain the balance of the National Power System, it may order a mandatory consumption limitation measure under the conditions set out in the applicable legislation and procedures.

Industrial consumers included in the Consumption Limitation Regulation approved by ANRE will be informed individually at least 24 hours before the measure is actually applied.

The notification will specify:

• the time at which the measure will take effect;
• the estimated period of application;
• the stage or stages activated;
• the level of the requested power reduction.

It is important to note that the actual application of the measure, whether in full or in part, is ordered by Transelectrica through the National Energy Dispatch Centre only if the technical conditions justifying the measure continue to exist and only for the amount of power necessary to balance the system.

The limitation must not result in operation below the minimum technically required power needed to maintain the safety of industrial installations and processes.

If the measure is extended, Transelectrica may apply a rotation principle for the different limitation stages so that the impact is not permanently concentrated on the same consumers.

4. Manual disconnections – an exceptional emergency measure.

In exceptional situations in which the condition of the National Power System deteriorates rapidly and there is insufficient time to implement the administrative stages described above, or when consumption limitation measures are not sufficient, Transelectrica may apply manual disconnection measures in accordance with the approved Manual Disconnection Regulation.

This measure is exceptional in nature and is intended to prevent a major incident and protect the operation of the National Power System. It may be applied only under the conditions strictly laid down in the operational procedures and regulations in force.

Once the cause that led to the application of the consumption limitation measure has disappeared, i.e. once the National Power System has returned to a safe operating state, the restrictions will be lifted.

This clarification does not rule out accidental or technical outages that may occur in electricity networks as a result of local incidents. These are, however, distinct situations and should not be confused with the planned mechanism for managing, under special circumstances, a power deficit in the National Power System, such as the staggered limitation of consumption by certain industrial consumers.

система, каквото е поетапното ограничаване на потреблението на определени промишлени потребители.

Source: Ministry of Energy of Romania