Electricity consumption by Romanian households fell by 11.9% year on year during January–July 2026. The decline coincided with higher renewable generation and increased exports, while overall national demand moved lower. Total final electricity consumption decreased by 4.3% versus the same period of 2025.
Consumption by businesses and other economic users declined by 1.8%. Electricity used for public lighting fell by 7%. Together, these changes contributed to a broader reduction in demand across sectors.
Electricity resources and generation mix changes
Romania’s available electricity resources were broadly stable at 40.36 TWh, rising by only 54 GWh compared with the corresponding months of 2025. Despite the limited movement in headline availability, the generation mix shifted materially. Hydropower output increased by 16.4% to 8.39 TWh, adding approximately 1.18 TWh.
Wind generation rose by about 227 GWh to 3.62 TWh. Photovoltaic output expanded by more than 1.20 TWh to 4.10 TWh. Thermal generation moved in the opposite direction, declining by 7.9% to 8.82 TWh.
Nuclear production fell by 12.3% to 5.36 TWh. The decrease was partly linked to outages and operational constraints at the Cernavodă plant . The changes in hydro, wind, solar, thermal and nuclear output reshaped supply patterns over the period.
Exports and grid-related consumption
Electricity exports increased by approximately 930 GWh to 9.04 TWh during the seven-month period. Consumption associated with network and station operations rose by 381 GWh to 3.24 TWh. This pointed to higher electricity use for grid and station functions as renewable output and cross-border volumes increased .
Primary energy trends and residential demand drivers
Primary energy resources declined by 6.2% to 18.14 million tonnes of oil equivalent. Domestic primary energy production decreased by 2.9%, while imports fell more sharply, down by 9.4%, to 8.87 million tonnes of oil equivalent. The change in supply sources occurred alongside lower electricity demand in multiple end-use categories.
The fall in residential consumption may be associated with several factors including energy-efficiency improvements, higher self-generation by prosumers, price sensitivity and weather conditions . Rooftop photovoltaic output consumed directly by households can reduce metered grid demand without producing an equivalent reduction in underlying electricity use.
The export picture also reflected conditions later in the year, with hydrology deteriorating after early-2026 strength . A summer shutdown of Cernavodă and lower Danube levels materially tightened the system after July, shifting the balance toward import dependence when large generating assets became unavailable.
