“Verbund may be a lesser-known company in Romania, but it is the largest energy company in Austria and has a long history of around 70 years. Over 90% of its production comes from hydropower generation. So, it’s the equivalent of Hidroelectrica, but much larger in scale.

Verbund’s mission for 2030 is for 25% of its production to come from wind and solar energy. So, we are diversifying, but only within renewable energy.

The Group currently has an installed capacity of 8,000 MW, and this will increase with an additional 1 GW of operational wind and solar energy. Returning to Romania, the Group has been present here since 2012 with a 226 MW wind farm in Tulcea, which has achieved excellent operational performance after so many years of experience,” said Adrian Borotea, Country Manager, Verbund Wind Power Romania, during the Sustainability in Business Forum organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest and Sustainability Today.

Key statements:

• “We are at an advanced stage of making additional investments. In addition to the wind farm, we are applying this hybridization concept, which essentially means adding photovoltaic capacity at the same grid connection point. We have already started work on 60 MW, and several growth stages will follow.”
• “Because we have identified the power system’s need for system services, we are developing a battery energy storage project. In May of this year, we acquired a 272 MW wind energy project in the Caraș-Severin area, and next year we will begin its construction.”
• “In Romania, Verbund is focused on identifying new project opportunities, on project development, and on operating them after commissioning. Verbund has been in Romania for 13 years and aims to remain a long-term partner.”
• “We currently have several ongoing tenders covering a wide range of activities, from EPC to equipment procurement, and through these tenders we ensure that sustainability is embedded throughout the entire value chain.”
• “We will have a project — which we believe will be the first of its kind in Romania — based on this hybridization model, meaning a combination of solar energy generation, wind energy generation, and battery storage. This will allow us to cover as much consumption as possible and move towards a more balanced, baseload-like power supply.”