Transelectrica Accelerating the Green Transition with Funding From NRRP

• Transelectrica is managing a total of €51.7 million in funding from the NRRP – REPowerEU component – to implement three key investments aimed at modernizing, improving the efficiency of, and digitizing the Power Transmission Grid.
• The first investment aims to reduce and optimize internal electricity consumption at 29 electrical substations by installing photovoltaic power plants and energy storage systems; it is currently in the accelerated implementation phase.
• The second investment is aimed at modernizing and equipping the SMART subsidiary—which handles the power transmission grid (PTG) maintenance—with clean-tech equipment, with the goal of reducing response times for grid issues; the project is currently in the final stage of data monitoring and consolidation, and all purchased equipment is now in use.
• The third investment aims to enhance the resilience of the NPS and PTG against cyberattacks by optimizing the telecommunications network and establishing a data centre; the investment has been completed and is now operational.

The National Power Grid Company Transelectrica is moving forward with the implementation of a project to install photovoltaic power plants (PV) and electricity storage systems to supply internal services at 29 electrical substations, a project receiving €29.557 million in funding through the REPowerEU component of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).

The project implemented by Transelectrica aims to install photovoltaic and storage systems at 35% of all the electrical substations managed by the company, with a total installed capacity of 11.25 MW for the photovoltaic plants and a storage capacity of 19.10 MWh (at a power of 5 MW). In addition, these facilities are also designed to ensure the continuous and autonomous operation of the 29 substations in the event of unforeseen failures or system restoration.

Work is currently underway at 13 substations, while the remaining 16 substations are in the design phase; construction work at these substations will begin in the near future. The installation of photovoltaic panels has been completed at six substations belonging to the Craiova Regional Transmission Branch (five substations) and the Bacau Regional Branch (one substation), namely: 220/110/20 kV Targu Jiu Nord Substation, 220/110 kV Craiova Nord Substation, 220/110 kV Isalnita Substation, 220/110/10/6 kV Turnu Severin Est Substation, 220/110 kV Calafat Substation, 220/110/20/6 kV FAI Substation.

By utilizing solar energy and energy storage solutions, Transelectrica is reducing its reliance on energy purchased from the market and optimizing its operating costs. The photovoltaic power plants and storage facilities at the 29 electrical substations will reduce their electricity consumption from the grid by 50%.

The project is innovative due to its off-grid nature; the systems being designed exclusively for self-consumption, without feeding electricity into the grid, in compliance with unbundling rules (in accordance with Directive 2019/944).

 

Operational benefits

The installation of photovoltaic power plants and storage systems brings significant benefits to the operational reliability of the National Power System: it ensures power supply to the stations’ internal services (transformer cooling, lighting, HVAC systems); increases the autonomy of the energy infrastructure; improves the operational safety of the NPS and PTG by ensuring conditions for autonomous operation in the event of failures and during potential restoration processes, as uninterrupted power supply to internal services is vital for successfully resolving these issues.

Photovoltaic power plants and electricity storage systems will be installed exclusively at the following Transelectrica substations: FAI, Gutinas, Roman Nord, Bucuresti Sud, Domnesti, Fundeni, Ghizdaru, Gura Ialomitei, Pelicanu, Stalpu, Targovişte, Teleajen, Brazi Vest, Turnu Magurele, Gadalin, Lacu Sarat, Constanta Nord, Tulcea Vest, Medgidia Sud, Isaccea, Craiova Nord, Targu Jiu Nord, Isalnita, Calafat, Turnu Severin Est, Bradu, Iernut, Paroseni and Pestis.

The energy generated by the photovoltaic systems will be used directly for internal consumption, and any surplus will be stored in batteries and used later for the same purpose.

Through this investment, Transelectrica is strengthening its role in modernizing the national energy infrastructure and integrating sustainable solutions, thereby actively contributing to Romania’s goals regarding decarbonization and energy security.

The project is moving forward at a rapid pace, with visible results already on the ground, where the photovoltaic infrastructure has either been installed or is currently in various stages of construction or design.

 

355 pieces of modern equipment for the maintenance of the Power Transmission Grid

The second project funded by Transelectrica – “Modernization of SMART SA – a subsidiary of CNTEE Transelectrica SA,” with funding of €13.79 million, aims to modernize the SMART subsidiary by equipping it with state-of-the-art equipment and machinery using clean technology, to ensure maintenance services of the highest standards, suitable for a transmission and system operator.

With funding from the NRRP, the SMART branch purchased 46 types of modern equipment, ranging from aerial work platforms to tool kits for emergency response, for a total of 355 pieces of machinery and equipment. These have already been purchased and accepted and are currently being used in operations. The project is currently in the data monitoring and consolidation phase, with the aim of achieving the target of reducing the average duration of network interventions by 50%.

The modernization of the SMART branch strengthens the safety and stability of the National Power System and the Power Transmission Grid, thereby helping Transelectrica—as the national transmission and system operator—to ensure energy security.

 

Modern data centre funded by the NRRP and completed by TELETRANS

With funding of €8.44 million, the TELETRANS subsidiary completed and put into operation a modern data centre at the end of March, which is currently being used to strengthen the cybersecurity of the Power Transmission Grid.

The investment carried out by the telecommunications subsidiary TELETRANS aims to increase the resilience of the power transmission grid and the National Power System against cyberattacks by modernizing the communications network (equipment and software) and establishing a data centre. The equipment purchased under the project will increase the technical availability of the fibre-optic infrastructure to 99.5%, directly contributing to ensuring the stability and operational reliability of the NPS.