E.ON and Romgaz plan to produce electricity

The main reason for their thew strategy are the rising prices of electricity, which would offer quick profits to companies interested in investing in this field, and also energy independence for their own operations. 

"We will refine methane gas and obtain electricity. More and more companies worldwide diversify their energy offer, and that is what we will do, too," Romgaz General Manager, Alexa Iakob, told Business Standard.

Starting this week, Romgaz will draft a business plan for electricity market, he added. The company made an offer to state-owned energz producer Termoelectrica to build a new group of power plants , but this could become a separate project, according to Iakob. Romgaz last year covered  some 51.99 percent of the domestic natural gas market, while its main competitor, Petrom, had a market share of 46.17 percent.

Entering the electricity production market is also a main priority of E.ON Energie Romania, member of German group E.ON Energie. E.ON's main targets are to buy state-owned power plants Turceni and Rovinari, to participate in building the reactors 3 and 4 at Cernavoda nuclear plant, as well as to buy several thermal and hydra-electric power stations.

They are also analysing investment opportunities in eolian energy production. "If energy complexes and thermal power plants are not put on sale, we will build our own power plant," said Ferenc Csulak, deputy director at E.ON Moldova Distributie. E.ON Energie Romania owns E.ON Moldova Furnizare, with a share of 7.91 percent on the energy supply market, and E.ON Moldova Distributie, which holds the monopoly on the electricity distribution market in Eastern Romania. The local energy production market is estimated to some €1.7 billion and is forecast to further increase due to several investments in this sector. Energy distribution companies CEZ, Enel and Electrica also have plans to start producing electricity.