Romania has the largest power sector in southeast Europe, and electricity privatization is one of the government's biggest priorities as it attempts to meet a 2007 goal to enter the European Union. Its electricity market is scheduled to be fully liberalized by the end of that year, far sooner than any of its southeast European neighbors.
In 2000, Romania reorganized its state electric company, CONEL, dividing it into five commercial companies. Romania's TSO, Transelectica, is the only one in the treaty that has been admitted to the European Transmission System Operators.
The Romanian Electricity and Heat Regulatory Authority (ANRE), was created in 1999 to set tariffs, license traders, protect consumer and investors, and regulate access to the transmission and distribution grids. ANRE has licensed 124 traders.
The Italian company ENEL holds about a quarter of the market share in Romania now that it has acquired majority stakes in power distributors Electrica Mutenia Sud, Electrica Dobrega and Electrica Banat. The German company E.ON and Czech CEZ have both acquired 24.6 percent of two other power distributors.
| NET ELECTRICITY EXPORTER | 1,188 GWh | | Total Electrical Consumption (2004) | 50,746 GWh | | Total Electrical Production (2004) | 51,934 GWh | | Electrical Consumption per Capita (2002) | 2027.00 kWh/capita | | Average Household Electricity Price (2005) | ¢9.02/kWh (no tax) | | | ¢10.73/kWh (with tax) |