The Chinese from China Energy Company (CEFC) are the new major shareholders of Rompetrol Rafinare, after closing a deal with KazMunayGas (CN KMG), Kazakhstan’s national company for oil and gas. 

The preparatory arrangements for this deal were taken care of by experts from Kazakhstan, China, and Romania, and made possible signing the Memorandum of Agreement on 14 December 2015 in the presence of the Chinese and Kazakhstani Prime Ministers, as well as its validation by the main parties of the transaction on 29 January 2016 (Term Sheet). 

According to Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos during an energy conference held in Bucharest, and following Petro Porosenko's visit in Bucharest last week, Ukraine has a “strong will to continue the efforts for energy connection with the Romanian grid for gas, as well as electricity”, and that “both parties are looking for the resources to make it happen, also by stimulating the Romanian electrical companies to be a part of the project.”

In the context of European financing for projects like BRUA (energetic interconnection between western Europe and Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria), the PM suggested that the EU should also support and finance the interconnection between the states in the eastern partnership in order to develop the economic cooperation “so that these countries remain connected to Europe not only on a declaration level”, and hopes for Romania to become an “energetic hub.”

The Energetic Complex Oltenia (CE Oltenia) is going through a rough patch since losses of approximately 220 million EUR in 2015, and about 155 million EUR in 2014 have caused extreme measures of preparing for July the dismissal of 2000 employees out of their total 15 000. 150 miners from CE Oltenia have come to Bucharest today after walking over 300 kilometers in order to protest against the dismissals.

A survey conducted by The European Association of Societies of ESCO (UE.ESCO) together with the European Federation of Intelligent Energy Efficiency Services (EFIEES)-as volunteer co-administrators of The European Code of Conduct on Energy Performance Contracts (EPC), based on Eurostat guidance note showed that EU guidance rules have negative impact on investments in energy efficiency in the public sector. Ten member states (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden) out of 15, participant to the survey, have reached the previous conclusion.

The Association of the Electricity Suppliers in Romania AFEER, proposed a set of changes for energy Law no. 123/2012. The suggestions were made through the association president Ion Lungu, regarding the implementations of new rules that apply in an equitable manner to all the participants in the market and in conformity with the EU practices.

The amendments propositions cover all the identified gaps and tackle the issues in the actual law with the declared purpose of having an equidistant and transparent electricity market for all the participants.

In 2014, a government decision (HG 495/2014) was laying the grounds for helping large energy consumers' energy bill by introducing a reduction of 85% from the price of acquisition of green certificates. The state aid would be awarded to the companies as an “agreement of exception” after applying for it at the Ministry of Economy with a range of documents that prove investments in energy efficiency. The amount of the green certificates was estimated at about EUR 750 million in ten years this value being transferred to other consumers, especially on SMEs.