With the transition to 400 kV network of the entire Banat axis, it will be possible to install renewable energy production capacities of about 1,000 MW, representing around 15 % of total electricity production in the country, said Romanian electricity transmission system operator Transelectrica said.
The company is carrying out important works on the newly built section of line between the Iron Gates and Resita, an essential stage for the 400 kV transition project of the entire Banat axis, which will also close Romania’s 400 kV ring.
CEO of Transelectrica Catalin Nitu said that in late 2020, Transelectrica proposed a development plan for the national electricity transmission system in the next 10 years with an estimated value of more than one billion euros. One of the central directions of development is to increase the capacity to integrate renewable energy, in safe conditions, and thus to achieve the national targets assumed at European level. In this strategy, the completion of the 400 kV overhead transmission line Anina-Resita has an essential role, both for the country’s energy security and for the local economy.
Part of the project to close the 400 kV ring in the western part of Romania, the 400 kV overhead transmission line Iron Gates–Anina–Resita, an investment worth some 25 million euros, is part of the objectives included in the list of projects of common interest at the level of the European Commission. The completion and operationalization of this section will significantly contribute both to the integration of energy from renewable sources (up to 500 MW), to increase the interconnection capacity with neighboring countries by about 300 MW, and to the connection of new consumers that can total about 500 MW.