Israeli renewable developer Shikun & Binui Energy has commissioned a 104 MW solar power plant at Șimleu Silvaniei in Romania’s Sălaj county, increasing its operating renewable capacity in the country to 175 MW.
The facility is the company’s second operational Romanian solar project. Its first plant, located in Satu Mare county, entered commercial operation earlier. Both projects were constructed by CJR Renewables, giving Shikun & Binui continuity across engineering, procurement and construction delivery.
The Șimleu Silvaniei development received a €49 million loan from Raiffeisen Group in 2024, providing an example of commercial bank financing for large Romanian photovoltaic assets. The project’s commissioning converts that construction exposure into operating generation and allows the company to begin servicing debt from electricity revenues.
Shikun & Binui has a much larger development platform behind its two operating plants. Its Romanian pipeline includes approximately 1.16 GW of renewable generation and 730 MWh of battery-storage capacity. The storage component indicates that future projects are likely to be structured as hybrid assets capable of managing solar price cannibalisation and evening delivery.
Romania’s accelerating solar build-out is increasing competition for grid capacity and reducing the value of undifferentiated midday production. Pairing part of the pipeline with batteries could allow Shikun & Binui to move electricity into higher-priced hours, reduce imbalance exposure and provide services to the transmission system.
The group’s operating capacity of 175 MW represents only about 15 per cent of its disclosed 1.16 GW development pipeline. Delivery will therefore depend on connection availability, construction sequencing and the financing terms available for projects entering a more congested renewable market.
The completed Șimleu Silvaniei plant gives the company a larger operating base and a reference asset for future lenders. Its next investment phase will be shaped by whether new Romanian solar capacity is financed as conventional generation or as integrated solar-and-storage infrastructure.
