CMS | Romania passes amendments to grid connection rules

On 1 June 2025, Order 20/2025 for amending and supplementing orders by the Romanian Regulatory Authority (ANRE) regarding grid connection regulations went into force after being approved on 27 May.

The following article outlines the main updates to the grid connection regime, highlighting both the provisions and structural clarifications introduced by Order 20.

1.  Operational limitation works

The works for automation equipment required for operational limitation have been moved from the category of reinforcement works to the category of connection installation works.

2. New case for amending the grid connection permit

The grid connection permit (ATR) can be amended to introduce the limitation operation in the N-1 regime. Even in practice this was already performed. It was introduced now among other cases where ATRs may be amended.

3. Setting a deadline for providing the financial guarantee

Order 20 explicitly sets a deadline by which the user must submit the financial guarantee required for the issuance of the ATR. It also introduces a provision stating that failure to meet this deadline will result in the invalidation of the solution study and the rejection of the connection request. The user must provide the grid operator with proof of the lodging of the financial guarantee within a maximum period of two months from the date of communication by the grid operator of the approved solution study. This refers to the financial guarantee of 5% of the grid connection tariff, which must be put in place before obtaining a new ATR. As with the old regulation, there is no deadline stipulated but only the obligation to submit such financial guarantee before obtaining the ATR.

4. New extension rules of the grid connection agreements

The most important change brought by Order 20 is the user’s right to request the extension of the grid connection agreement for successive periods of 12 months, due to the need to extend the deadline for the final energisation of the user's installation, subject to the user's provision of a financial guarantee in favour of the grid operator, valid for the entire duration of the contract extension.

The amount of the financial guarantee will be 5% of the grid connection tariff provided for in the grid connection agreement and increase by 5% of the amount of the grid connection tariff for each successive 12-month period added to the duration of the contract.  The request for extension of the duration of the grid connection agreement must be registered by the user with the grid operator at least 30 calendar days before the date specified in the grid connection agreement for its termination.

The request must be accompanied by proof that the user has submitted a financial guarantee of 5%. Within a maximum of 15 days from the registration of the request, the grid operator must analyse the application and the documents submitted by the user and, if the documentation is complete, transmit the signed draft additional act to the user. Before the date of termination of the connection contract, the user must send the signed additional act to the grid operator. In the case of grid connection agreements whose term expires within 30 days of the date of entry into force of this order, the deadlines provided above (meaning the deadline of 30 days before the expiration date of agreement to submit the request for extension and 15 days term of the grid operator to send the signed addendum) must be reduced accordingly so that the term of the contract may be extended provided that the financial guarantee of 5% has been submitted to the grid operator. Also, the extension rules will be applicable for extension requests of grid connection agreements that were registered with the grid operator prior to the enforcement date of Order 20.

Within 180 days from the date of entry into force of this Order 20, grid operators and users must conclude addenda to the ongoing grid connection agreements in order to include amendments brought to the framework connection contracts (i.e. the right of the extension of the duration, etc.).

5. Deadlines for conclusion of the grid connection agreements

The Order amends the deadline for the user to send the grid operator the application for the conclusion of the grid connection agreement, from 30 to 45 calendar days before the date of expiry of the validity period of the ATR. At the same time, stages and deadlines have been included within the 45-calendar day period, during which the grid operator may request, if necessary, to complete the documentation attached to the application for the conclusion of the contract. In this case, the user is obliged to complete the documentation at least 15 calendar days before the expiry of the validity of the ATR. If the user fails to submit the application for conclusion of the contract or to complete the documentation to the operator within the specified time limits, the validity of the ATR will cease, and the grid operator will enforce the financial guarantee provided by the user.

Also, the deadline for the grid operator to send the signed draft connection contract to the user was amended from five working days to ten calendar days from the date of registration of the complete documentation for the conclusion of the contract. Where the proposed contract contains additional clauses to the framework contract, the deadline for the grid operator to send the signed draft contract is set at five calendar days. The obligation of the parties to agree on the contract’s terms sign by the expiry date of the validity of the ATR (i.e. 12 months from the date of issue) has been introduced.

6. Data to be considered by the grid operators when carrying out the calculations in the solution studies

In the preparation of a solution study, connection requests must be considered in the chronological order of submission of complete documentation.

When establishing the input data for the solution study, consumption or production sites located in the same network area are considered, which have the following:

    concluded contracts for the preparation of the solution study;
    solution studies drafted and endorsed by the grid operators;
    issued valid ATRs;
    connection certificates issued.

 7. Connection to the electricity grid of 110 kV or higher

Annex 5 of the Connection Regulation, which outlines specific requirements for connections to grids operating at 110kV or above, has been revised to include several key clarifications:

    It now explicitly states that the provisions of Annex 5 apply not only to shared connection solutions involving multiple users, but also to individual projects;
    New connection or transformer substations must be spaced at least ten kilometres apart;
    Developers who have financed new connection substations are obliged to grant access to future developers, provided they receive appropriate financial compensation from those benefiting from the shared infrastructure.

 8. Extension of Temporary Conformity Certificate duration

The Temporary Conformity Certificate, which was previously limited to a single extension of up to three months, may now be extended in successive three-month periods, as long as significant progress can be demonstrated. The total duration of these extensions, however, must remain within the maximum permitted testing periods: 24 months for Category D projects and 12 months for Category C projects.