Statistical data recently published by the NIS on Romania’s energy resources, for the interval January 1 – April 30, 2026, outline one of the most interesting developments in the Romanian energy sector in recent years, reveals in an analysis Dumitru Chisăliță, president of the Smart Energy Association (AEI).
According to him, the figures seem contradictory at first glance: primary energy resources decreased by -3.3%, domestic primary energy production is in decline, final electricity consumption decreased by -2.7%, but electricity production increases by +7%, while energy exports reached record levels, increasing by almost +16%.
„In reality, these developments show the accelerated transformation of Romania’s energy structure, an economy that is becoming increasingly dependent on fuel imports and increasingly oriented towards the export of (cheap – editor’s note) electricity produced from renewable sources,” Chisăliță points out.
Chisăliță: Romania imports less in total volume, but much more of certain critical resources
Behind the speeches about „Romania as an energy hub” and „energy independence” lies a much less comfortable reality, according to the expert.
„According to NIS data published for the first 4 months of 2026, Romania produces fewer energy resources, imports almost 47% more natural gas and 36.7% more petroleum products (to which is added +24% in terms of coal imports – editor’s note), consumes less electricity and exports the surplus of renewable energy at low prices. The increase in electricity production is not the result of a stronger economy or accelerated electrification, but mainly of favorable hydrological conditions and the development of renewables in an economy that fails to absorb this additional energy. Thus, although Romania exports more electricity, it simultaneously becomes more dependent on fuel imports and more vulnerable to external developments. Statistics show that there is a major difference between political slogans and energy reality: Romania is not energy independent, it is not a regional energy hub, but a country in an incomplete transition, with structural vulnerabilities that official figures highlight more clearly than any public statement,” explains Chisăliță.
According to him, electricity represents the only energy segment with positive evolution, while all other forms of primary energy recorded decreases in domestic production in the first 4 months of 2026 compared to the first 4 months of 2025.
„The increase in electricity production by approximately 7% shows that the Romanian energy system is starting to benefit from investments made in recent years in renewable capacities and from the favorable hydrological conditions in 2026. Unfortunately, this apparently positive evolution is not actually like that, because the sold electricity is very, very cheap and that is how the only apparently positive thing in Romanian energy statistics is not really positive,” the president of the Smart Energy Association (AEI) further explains.
What NIS data shows: Hydropower is the big winner of 2026 so far
According to data from the NIS, Hidroelectrica completely changed the image of production in the Romanian energy system in the first four months of the year.
Hydropower production rose by 31.5%, or over 1.2 TWh. This increase is impressive for several reasons:
- it accounts for almost the entire increase in national electricity production;
- it fully compensated for the declines in thermal and nuclear power plants;
- it reduced pressure on electricity imports.
Renewables continue to expand
Alongside hydropower, new renewables continue to consolidate their position. Wind power grew by 12.5% and solar power, by 26.4%. Although the absolute values are lower than the growth of hydropower, the signal is extremely important.
Overall, photovoltaics added nearly 300 million kWh in a single year, indicating a significant amount of new capacity coming online. In addition, the growth rate of solar production is the highest of all major energy technologies.
Thermal power plants and nuclear energy are losing ground
Contrasting the performance of renewables, conventional production is in decline. Thermal power plants produced 3.6% less, and the Cernavoda nuclear power plant, 2.9% less, with several system disconnections during the first 4 months of the year.
In the case of thermal power plants, the reduction is explained by the increase in hydro and renewable production, which have economic priority in the market due to low marginal costs.
Residential consumption falls, production goes up
According to the AEI analysis, one of the most interesting pieces of information from the NIS is the decrease in final electricity consumption by -2.7%.
Data shows that industrial and commercial consumption (final consumption in the economy) dropped by only 0.4%, indicating relative stability in economic activity.
However, population consumption decreased by -10.1%, an exceptionally large drop for just one year, also attributed to saving behavior driven by energy costs.
It should be noted that if the trend continues throughout the year, Romania could record one of the strongest reductions in residential consumption in the last decade.
Romania exports more and more energy
While domestic consumption is falling, exports are growing strongly. It’s just that they are occasional exports in the middle of the day, at low prices. Electricity exports reached 5.15 TWh, almost 709 million kWh above the level of the previous year, and the growth in exports is higher than the growth in total electricity production.
This demonstrates that the production surplus generated mainly by hydropower and renewables was directed to foreign markets, the AEI analysis shows.
Electricity imports drop Another positive indicator is the 15% reduction in electricity imports. This development is the direct consequence of the increase in domestic production and confirms the improvement of electricity self-sufficiency.
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