Hungarian utility group MVM has secured regulatory approval for a 24.6 MW photovoltaic project in Romania, adding another asset to its expanding generation and supply portfolio in central and eastern Europe.
The project is planned near Arcus in Covasna county and is being developed by MVM Energie Romania.
Development began in 2022, with Romanian regulator ANRE now granting the required authorisation.
Investment is estimated at around €16 million, with commercial operation targeted for mid-2027.
The plant will occupy around 20 hectares.
Although installed photovoltaic capacity will reach 24.6 MW, the maximum permitted network injection will be 21.2 MW.
Annual production is expected to correspond to the electricity consumption of approximately 12,000 households.
MVM plans to integrate the plant’s electricity into its Romanian supply portfolio rather than treating Arcus solely as an independent merchant generator.
That gives the project strategic value beyond spot-market sales.
An integrated supplier can combine owned generation with wholesale procurement and customer demand, reducing dependence on purchasing all required electricity from the market.
Solar generation can therefore act as one component of a broader supply and trading portfolio.
The project is also part of MVM’s regional expansion strategy.
The group has operated in Romania for more than 15 years and is active in electricity and natural gas supply as well as renewable generation.
Across central and eastern Europe, MVM aims to develop more than 3 GW of additional renewable capacity by 2035.
At around €16 million, the Arcus investment equates to roughly €650,000 per MW of installed capacity, based on the headline figures, although the available information does not detail which development, grid or financing costs are included.
The difference between installed capacity and maximum network injection will also require output management when photovoltaic production approaches its technical maximum.
Nevertheless, Arcus illustrates the broader direction of MVM’s regional strategy: adding locally generated renewable electricity to markets where the group already operates customer supply businesses.
Individual projects may be relatively small compared with the 3 GW target, but collectively they can increase the proportion of demand covered by MVM’s own low-carbon generation.
