Bulgaria gets energy from Romania almost for free, then sells it back to us at 10 times the price. A lesson from our neighbors

Greta Neagu, Antena 1, June 8, 2026

Summary

Here are the key points from the report:

• The core issue: Romania produces cheap energy during the day (from renewable sources), but lacks storage capacity. For this reason, it is forced to export it at rock-bottom prices and reimport it in the evening at prices up to 10 times higher.
• Bulgaria’s Strategy: Our southern neighbors have invested heavily in storage infrastructure, becoming the “battery of the Balkans.” They buy cheap energy from Romania and Greece during the day, store it in batteries, and resell it to those same countries during peak hours.
• Storage Capacity: Bulgaria has reached the top 3 in Europe (after Germany and Italy), exceeding a storage capacity of 12,000 MWh. In the event of a total blackout, Bulgaria can sustain its grid for 2.5 hours using batteries and pumped-storage hydroelectric plants, while Romania can last a maximum of 15 minutes.
• Failure of investments in Romania: Although it had approximately 15 billion euros in European funds available for the energy sector, the Romanian government distributed the money without a clear strategy, ignoring storage.
• Market effects: Thanks to batteries, evening energy prices in Bulgaria are much more stable and lower than in Romania (differences reaching up to 180 euros/MWh). Romanians thus pay for some of the most expensive energy in Europe relative to purchasing power.
• Future plans: Romania has only allocated 750 million euros for storage as of 2025, aiming to install 1,500 MW by the end of the year and up to 4,000 MW over the next two years. Large-scale long-term storage projects, such as the Tarnița-Lăpuștești pumped-storage hydroelectric plant, have been stuck in the discussion phase since the communist era.

Video with subtitles in English

Report

TV host: We pay a high price for cheaply produced electricity because we have nowhere to store it. Our cheap energy flows across the border. And it comes back in the evening at prices eight, sometimes even ten times higher. Meanwhile, Bulgaria, also known as the “battery of the Balkans,” is teaching us a new lesson. Greta Neagu and Gabriel Crișan show us this in a new episode of the campaign “How Much Does It Cost to Be Romanian.”

Our Bulgarian neighbors aim to become the “battery of the Balkans”

Once again, one step ahead. In a strategic sector: energy. After getting their finances in order and switching to the euro, the Bulgarians have set another goal: to become the “battery of the Balkans.” Our southern neighbors are doing more than just producing energy today. They import it almost for free from Romania or Greece, store it, and resell it-to us and to the Greeks-during peak hours, when prices are eight times higher.

“Bulgaria, like Romania, had very little battery storage capacity two years ago, but over the past three years-especially in the last 12 months-Bulgaria has managed to add over 3,800 MW of battery storage capacity. Thus, it can store up to 12,000 MWh of electricity in these batteries. This placed Bulgaria third in Europe last year, after Germany and Italy, and this year it will likely be in the top 3 in Europe again in terms of installed capacity,” said energy specialist Nikola Gazdov.

What are we doing?

“We sell cheaply, and the irony is that we’re selling energy that was largely developed with state support-through subsidies or European funds-and then we buy it back at peak times for much more,” said economic analyst Răzvan Nicolescu.

At what prices does Romania export and import energy

For example, on June 4, Romania exported 1,500 megawatt-hours during the day at an average price of 16.4 euros per megawatt and reimported it at 125 euros, according to OPCOM data. Furthermore, due to a lack of investment in storage, it imported another 7,300 megawatts in the evening at the same price-eight times higher. This happens every day. We wanted to see with our own eyes what Bulgaria has done to become a regional hub in the energy sector.

Twenty kilometers from Sofia, in Pernik, lies one of Bulgaria’s first hybrid parks.

“The energy storage system you see behind us-the battery containers-includes 30 battery containers, 115 inverters, and five smart substations,” said Vladislav Marinov, a representative of a hybrid park.

“The excess energy produced now, during the day, including with the help of the photovoltaic panels you see in the images, is stored in such batteries and later fed into the grid, at the request of traders, when there are consumption peaks. The energy that Romania produces during the day and has nowhere to store also ends up in such batteries.

So it sells it cheaply to the Bulgarians and buys it back in the evening at prices several times higher,” explained Observator reporter Greta Neagu.

From the monitoring room, things are even clearer.

“Around noon, prices are already very low, so the battery starts to charge. And it charges throughout most of the day. At some point, toward late afternoon, it gradually starts selling the energy back into the grid. This process begins around 8 p.m., when the sun is already setting. That’s when prices start to rise, and this is essentially the moment when the battery begins supplying energy. […] Bulgaria imports more from Romania. […] So that’s our cheap energy. It could be”, said energy specialist Nikola Gazdov.

“What is impressive from my point of view is the speed with which Bulgaria has managed to grow both in the area of production and in the area of storage,” Doru Dragomir added.

Money from European programs, distributed without any strategy

“We had billions of euros. About 15 billion euros through various European programs, 15 billion earmarked for the energy sector,” explained analyst Răzvan Nicolescu.

But distributed by the state without a strategy. That’s how we ended up boasting about “green” production from solar and wind power, but being unable to benefit from it.

“Think about it: today, at 1 p.m., there’s plenty of sunshine across the country. So those facilities produce far more than we currently consume at 1 p.m. […] You have two options: either you lose it, or you store it,” Răzvan Nicolescu added.

Romanians are losing out.

What sets the Bulgarians’ approach apart

“The Bulgarians, on the other hand, took a different approach. They funded these programs and battery storage from the very beginning. […] The results became clear over time: it was ultimately a risky decision at the outset-they were, indeed, more expensive-but right now they have much more installed storage capacity,” explained Silvia Vlăsceanu, director of the Association of Electricity Producers.

More specifically, from just 200 MWh in 2024, they jumped to a capacity of nearly 2,500 MWh by the end of last year. An increase of over 1,100% in a single year. Bulgaria will add around 7,000 MW to battery storage by the end of this year.

“A more stable energy system-which is very important in the current geopolitical context; we are living in very interesting times. […] Second, I believe that batteries will contribute significantly to stabilizing and reducing energy prices for industry,” said energy storage solutions specialist Vladimir Vladimirov.

“Energy storage has become just as important as energy production. To give you an idea, if Bulgaria were to shut down all its power plants right now, it could power the entire country for about two and a half hours using only batteries and pumped-storage hydroelectric plants.

[…] By comparison, Romania can do this for a maximum of 15 minutes, with just over 600 megawatts of active storage capacity,” added Observator reporter Greta Neagu.

“This will continue as long as there isn’t enough domestic production capacity.

“When there is enough hydro and gas, this difference will disappear and there will no longer be the possibility of selling expensive energy,” said energy analyst Boyan Rashev. “In recent weeks, we have observed that prices in Bulgaria, including during evening hours, are significantly lower than those in Romania.

On certain days, the difference has even reached 180 euros/MWh in Bulgaria’s favor. On average, electricity used in the evening in Bulgaria is about 50 euros/MWh, sometimes even more, cheaper than in Romania,” added Nikola Gazdov.

“We’ll end up watching our neighbors as they move forward, and we’ll just stand by and say, ‘But why didn’t we do it when we should have?’” noted Silvia Vlăsceanu.

After years of zero allocations, the former Minister of Energy says that in 2025 she allocated 750 million euros for the development of storage projects.

“By the end of this year, based on the projects currently underway and those started last year, another 1,500 megawatts of stand-alone storage should be installed, and up to 4,000 megawatts over the next two and a half years,” said former Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan.

What other solutions should the Romanian government consider

Batteries are not the only solution the government should consider. Energy storage in lakes, for example, could serve as a “buffer” for the entire energy system and help balance it. Tarnița-Lăpuștești, Romania’s largest “natural battery,” has been under discussion since the communist era.

“I’ve been talking about the Tarnița project since I was in the Faculty of Energy Engineering. There have been various obstacles. The complexity of the investment, the costs. […] We keep talking about the same thing. Our children are growing up,” added Răzvan Niculescu.

Until then, we continue to pay for the most expensive energy in Europe relative to purchasing power. That’s the price of being Romanian.

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