Bogdan Ivan, the Minister of Energy, argues that electricity and natural gas prices could decrease in the near future if the dysfunctions in the energy market are corrected and if the new rules are implemented.
The Minister explained that authorities are analyzing both production, transport, and storage costs, as well as the organization of the electricity trading market. According to Ivan, Romania could achieve visible reductions if the dysfunctions recently identified in the trading mechanism are corrected.
The Minister stated, on Antena3, that there is currently "a sort of monopoly" operating in the Romanian market, causing domestic prices to be, on average, almost 9.5% higher than on a European platform used at the Union level. In some situations, Romanian companies would buy energy from Germany at a lower price than on the local market, indicating structural problems.
"By optimizing the costs of production, transport, and storage of electricity, we can achieve a decrease of at least 10%–15% in the near future," Ivan said, also specifying that the reduction of tariffs depends on political will and cooperation between the coalition and the opposition.
The Minister announced the Government's intention to allow Romania's access to an international trading platform, which has been blocked until now due to administrative and regulatory reasons.
Social support for electricity
Ivan also stated that social assistance will continue for electricity: a support of 50 lei per month for individuals with incomes up to 1,950 lei, and subsequently the cap for this support will increase to 2,500 lei. For vulnerable individuals in this category, the mechanism is expected to be implemented by October 2026.
Gas bills after April 1, 2026
Regarding natural gas, Bogdan Ivan explained how bills will be calculated after the expiration of the capping scheme, starting from April 1, 2026. He said that the Government is set to adopt a regulatory act to clarify this "very clearly and transparently."
According to the Minister, the scheme will maintain capping at the producer level and will have a preset mechanism throughout the chain – from transporters and distributors to suppliers – so that the final price does not exceed the current level of 0.31 lei/kWh on the market. He assured that gas prices will not "skyrocket" after the end of capping and that the mechanism is designed to protect household consumers.
The Minister also mentioned that Romgaz has obtained its supply license and will start offering gas on the market from March, potentially attracting some clients to this company.