Electricity use declines across sectors
Romania’s electricity consumption totaled 24.11 TWh from January to June, falling 3.3% year on year, according to the National Institute for Statistics. Industrial demand decreased by 0.6% to 18.61 TWh. Household consumption dropped 11.8% to 5.31 TWh, while electricity for public lighting declined 4.6% to approximately 191.3 GWh.
Generation increases, led by hydropower and solar
Romanian power production rose 5.2% to 26.23 TWh, shifting the system toward higher generation relative to consumption during the first half of 2026. Hydropower output increased by 17.9% to 7.5 TWh, representing the largest rise among generation sources. Solar production, including prosumers, climbed 42.1% to 3.26 TWh, while wind generation increased 9% to 3.27 TWh.
Those increases offset weaker performance in other segments of the generation mix during the period.
Nuclear and thermal output decline
Thermal generation fell by 5.9% to 7.68 TWh. Electricity production at the Cernavoda nuclear plant decreased by 11.7% to 4.53 TWh. The changes in these conventional segments occurred alongside the higher hydro and solar output reported for the first six months of 2026.
Exports rise as imports fall
Cross-border trade reflected the stronger domestic generation environment, with exports increasing and imports decreasing over the six-month period. Romanian electricity exports rose by 11.4% to 7.69 TWh, while imports fell by 9.8% to 8.46 TWh. Romania remained a net importer, but the difference between imports and exports narrowed materially as renewable and hydropower production strengthened.
Romania is one of southeast Europe’s largest electricity systems and a key transit market between Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine and Moldova.
Primary energy production trends differ from electricity generation
Total primary energy-resource production was reported at 7,929.6 million tonnes of oil equivalent, down 2.6% year on year. Coal output declined by 17.9% to 742.3 million tonnes of oil equivalent, oil fell by 7.2% to 1,160.7 million tonnes of oil equivalent, and natural gas decreased by 0.6% to 3,710.3 million tonnes of oil equivalent.
The first-half electricity figures therefore pointed to a system increasingly supported by hydro, wind and particularly solar generation while domestic consumption remained below 2025 levels.
