Grid Approval Speculation and Coal Phase-Out: How the OPCOM Spot Market is Left Without Real Generation Capacities — NRG-IA

Context: Pressure on Production Capacities and European Geopolitics The spot electricity market (Day-Ahead Market - DAM) managed by OPCOM is the main barometer of the balance between supply and demand in the Romanian energy sector. Currently, price evolution on this platform is dictated by a convergence of two major factors: the retirement of classic production capacities and the administrative bottlenecks preventing new renewable capacities from entering the system. Amid a global energy crisis that major oil company executives are already comparing to the 1973 Arab embargo, according to information published by Digi24, security of supply becomes critical. While the Romanian Government focuses on immediate measures to protect fuel consumers—with PM Ilie Bolojan announcing a focus on reducing the excise duty on diesel, where the highest increases occurred—the electricity sector faces deep structural vulnerabilities. Former President Traian Băsescu recently highlighted at Digi24 that,…