Official from the Ministry of Energy: "Zero chance" of a blackout in Romania. Bills could rise by 5%

Sorin Elisei, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Energy, stated on Saturday that the chances of Romania experiencing a blackout, in the context of the current energy crisis, are zero.

Regarding the evolution of energy bills, the official explained that patience is required until data for October, November, and December becomes available, as supply contracts are typically renegotiated in the fourth quarter of the year for the following calendar year.

"We need to wait and see what October, November, and December bring, because supply contracts are traditionally renegotiated in the fourth quarter of a given year for the following calendar year. There is, at least from my point of view, a forecast at this time that I would put at a 5% increase compared to this year," said Sorin Elisei, in an appearance on Antena 3, as reported by News.ro.

When asked directly about the risk of a blackout, the Secretary of State specified that the probability of such a scenario is 0%.

The official also clarified the situation regarding energy imports from Bulgaria, noting that not all of the volume actually reaches Romania.

"Part of the imports from Bulgaria also go to Hungary, transiting through Romania and being brought into Hungary. In real terms, somewhere around 2,000 or under 2,000 megawatts remain with us, depending on each interval. If you look at the real-time map of the energy system, you will see that Romania is interconnected with Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine, and Moldova," Sorin Elisei further specified.