Electricity consumption by Romanian households fell by 11.9% year on year during the first seven months of 2026, contributing to a broader reduction in national demand even as renewable generation and exports increased.
Total final electricity consumption declined by 4.3% compared with January–July 2025. Consumption by businesses and other economic users fell 1.8%, while electricity used for public lighting decreased 7%.
Romania’s available electricity resources were broadly stable at 40.36 TWh, increasing by only 54 GWh from the corresponding period of 2025. The limited headline change concealed a significant restructuring of the generation mix.
Hydropower production increased by 16.4% to 8.39 TWh, adding approximately 1.18 TWh. Wind generation rose by about 227 GWh to 3.62 TWh, while photovoltaic output expanded by more than 1.20 TWh to 4.10 TWh.
Thermal generation moved in the opposite direction, declining by 7.9% to 8.82 TWh. Nuclear production fell 12.3% to 5.36 TWh, partly reflecting outages and operational constraints at the Cernavodă plant.
Electricity exports increased by approximately 930 GWh to 9.04 TWh during the seven-month period. Consumption associated with network and station operations rose by 381 GWh to 3.24 TWh, highlighting the growing importance of grid efficiency as renewable and cross-border volumes increase.
Primary energy resources declined 6.2% to 18.14 million tonnes of oil equivalent. Domestic primary energy production decreased 2.9%, while imports fell more sharply, by 9.4% to 8.87 million tonnes of oil equivalent.
The decline in residential consumption may reflect a combination of energy-efficiency improvements, higher self-generation by prosumers, price sensitivity and weather conditions. Rooftop photovoltaic output consumed directly by households can reduce metered grid demand without producing an equivalent reduction in underlying electricity use.
Romania’s early-2026 export strength also needs to be viewed against the subsequent deterioration in hydrology. The summer shutdown of Cernavodă and lower Danube levels materially tightened the system after July, demonstrating that a strong cumulative balance can quickly give way to import dependence when large generating assets become unavailable.
