In Constanta region a 60 MW high-efficiency cogeneration power plant and a 100 MW wind farm are planned by MET Energy Romania, one of the larger electricity and gas suppliers in Romania.
The company’s CEO Petre Stroe said that, although the decision is not yet approved by the shareholders of the MET Group, in current situation on the market, where large energy producers also planning to enter the supply business, it is vital for a private supplier to also have a production capacity.
The supplier’s activity has become extremely complex and without such an investment, its ability to remain in the market diminishes. Thus, the gas-fired power plant and the wind farm would have a single connection to the network, the reason being that the supplier can make balancing easier and cheaper. Stroe said that MET is planning to invest in electricity generation capacity for some time already, but then came the pandemic, and suppliers were badly affected, mostly because energy consumption decreased significantly.
This had a negative influence on shareholders who previously considered investments in production capacity, but now are rethinking the strategy. However, Stroe says that even in crisis situations, a supplier can better manage the situation if he has a production unit, including better management of physical balancing and he is a strong supporter of this project.
Last year, MET Energy Romania delivered 4 TWh (3.1 TWh of electricity and 0.9 TWh of natural gas) to customers and had a 7 % share of the competitive electricity market. On the natural gas market, MET Romania has a share of about 2.01 %, being among the top 10 suppliers in the country. Regarding commercial customers, the company is ranked third, with about 1,000 customers.
