Grid Connection in Romania: The ATR, Connection Contract and Connection Certificate for Solar, Wind and Battery Projects

The technical connection permit (aviz tehnic de racordare, ATR) is the document in which a Romanian grid operator sets where, at what capacity and with which works a solar park, wind farm or storage installation can connect. A connection contract follows, the works are built, and the operator then issues a connection certificate confirming that the installation meets the permit’s conditions and may operate. Since 2026, projects of 5 MW or more must first obtain grid capacity through a Transelectrica auction, and Order 15/2026 of ANRE (Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority) has shortened deadlines and raised guarantees.

This guide is written for developers and investors; household connections are covered briefly and separately. Current market figures are on our page on grid connection in Romania.

The grid connection steps, from request to connection certificate

The Regulation on connecting users to public electricity networks, approved by ANRE Order 59/2013 and amended several times since, sets out eight stages in chronological order:

1. preliminary information: the operator explains the connection options, the stages and whether a site permit (aviz de amplasament) is needed;
2. filing the connection request and supporting documents;
3. setting the connection solution, through a solution sheet or solution study, and issuing the ATR as the connection offer;
4. signing the connection contract;
5. building and commissioning the connection installation;
6. energising the user’s installation for testing, a stage not required for every user;
7. issuing the connection certificate;
8. final energisation.

For plants and batteries of 5 MW or more, a step now comes before all of these: capacity allocation by auction. The capacity allocation contract forms part of the connection request, and the ATR is issued only once the allocated capacity has been paid for. Capacity now comes before the permit, not after it.

Document	Issued by	What it fixes
Capacity allocation contract (5 MW or more)	Transelectrica, after the auction	MW allocated for one year of the 10-year period and the price paid
Solution study or solution sheet	The grid operator; the applicant pays for the study	Connection options and reinforcement works
Technical connection permit (ATR)	The operator whose network the project connects to	Connection point, approved capacity, works, tariff and guarantee
Connection contract	The operator and the user	Tariff payment, deadlines and obligations
Building permit	The local public authority	The right to build, with a deadline tied to the ATR
Setting-up authorisation (above 1 MW)	ANRE	The right to build the generating capacity, same deadline
Connection certificate	The grid operator, on its own initiative	Confirms the conditions and sets the technical rules for using the grid

Who issues the ATR: Transelectrica or the distribution operator

The ATR is issued by the operator whose network the project connects to. Projects connecting to the 220 kV and 400 kV transmission grid deal with Transelectrica, the transmission and system operator. Projects at 110 kV, medium or low voltage deal with the distribution operator holding the local concession, for example Rețele Electrice, Delgaz Grid, Distribuție Energie Electrică Romania or Distribuție Energie Oltenia.

In the capacity auctions, requests for projects above 50 MW are addressed to Transelectrica and those up to and including 50 MW to the distribution operator. All requests are nonetheless filed on the Transelectrica platform, auctions run by network zones set by the transmission operator, and Transelectrica signs the allocation contracts. ANRE writes the rules and issues setting-up authorisations; local authorities issue the urban planning certificate and the building permit.

What documents a developer prepares

For the capacity allocation request (5 MW or more): identification data for the site and the company, the requested energisation date, installed capacity, capacity requested and network zone, the location in Stereo 70 coordinates, a trade register certificate issued no more than 30 days earlier, and proof of the participation guarantee.

For the connection request and ATR: the plant’s technical and energy data, a valid urban planning certificate, a site plan on a topographic base, company documents, a title or right of use over the land valid at least until the end of the year requested for final commissioning, the land register extract and, for projects of 5 MW or more, the capacity allocation contract.

For the connection certificate: the installation file prepared by the contractor (a declaration of compliance with the ATR and the verified design, acceptance reports, test results), the commissioning acceptance report for the generation or storage capacity and the certificate of conformity where technical norms require it.

What to check before buying a project in development is set out in our analysis of pipeline megawatts versus real power plants.

What changed in 2026: grid capacity is allocated by auction

The methodology approved by ANRE Order 53 of 30 July 2024 has applied since 1 January 2026 and replaced first-come, first-served allocation. It covers new plants of 5 MW or more, as well as generation or storage of 5 MW or more added to an existing generation or consumption site. Auctions allocate, by zone, capacity in the transmission grid and in the distribution grid at 110 kV and medium voltage.

Auctions are annual, and capacity is awarded for 10 years starting in the second year after the auction. The starting price is the estimated value of the additional grid development works divided by the available capacity in MW, so the cost of reinforcement shows up in the price. In the regular cycle, Transelectrica publishes available capacity by 15 January, requests are filed by the end of February, global solution study results are published by 15 June and daily auction sessions start on 1 July, from 08:00 to 13:00.

The winner returns the signed contract, with a guarantee of 1% of its value, within five working days of receiving it, pays at least 20% within 30 days of signing and the balance within four months; otherwise it loses both the capacity and the guarantee. Unsuccessful bidders may opt, within two hours of the session closing, for capacity available in the following year. Our analysis of the new allocation rules covers the mechanism in detail.

The EUR 20,000 per MW guarantee and the first auction in October 2026

ANRE Order 15/2026 introduced the participation guarantee: for 2026, EUR 20,000 per MW requested, converted to lei at the National Bank of Romania rate on the issue date. From 2027 it becomes the lower of that figure and the weighted average of prices in the previous year’s auctions. It is posted with the request, returned to unsuccessful bidders within two working days and called if a winner fails to return the signed contract with the payment guarantee on time.

For the first cycle, ANRE Order 79 of 16 December 2025 moved the calendar. Requests were filed by 14 July 2026, and the final list of 24 July contained 12 projects requesting 491 MW across solar, wind, hybrid and storage. By 23 October 2026 Transelectrica must publish the global solution study results by zone, which determine the works required and the starting prices, and auction sessions begin on 30 October 2026. Capacity awarded in this first auction covers 2028 to 2037. We have written on preparing for the first auction and on the 491 MW eligible list.

ANRE Order 15/2026: guarantees and deadlines after the ATR

ANRE Order 15 of 21 May 2026, published in the Official Gazette no. 436 of 25 May 2026, amended the connection regulation, the standard ATR and contract templates and the allocation methodology. Four rules matter:

• ATR guarantee. For a new plant, including one with storage, a stand-alone battery or a capacity increase, where total approved capacity exceeds 1 MW, the guarantee is 20% of the connection tariff excluding VAT, up from 5%.
• Permit deadline. The building permit and, above 1 MW, the setting-up authorisation must be obtained within 12 months of signing the connection contract and 18 months of the ATR being issued.
• Limited extensions. The setting-up authorisation deadline is extended by up to 60 days if ANRE finds the application complete. The operator may extend the deadlines once, by up to 12 months, for causes outside the applicant’s control; for the building permit, an extension requires an extra guarantee of 5% of the tariff.
• Sanction. If a deadline is missed, the ATR lapses, the connection contract terminates by law and the guarantee is called. The proceeds fund grid reinforcement only.

Connection contracts above 1 MW already running on 25 May 2026 must obtain the setting-up authorisation within 12 months of the order’s entry into force, that is by 25 May 2027. The numbers explain the reform: of projects that posted the old 5% guarantee, about 12% reached a connection contract, 3% a building permit and roughly 1% all three milestones, including the setting-up authorisation. On 1 January 2026, ANRE counted 1,436 projects of at least 1 MW with a valid ATR, totalling 78,094 MW. We assessed the effects in our article on ANRE Order 15/2026.

The connection contract, the works and the connection certificate

Once the ATR is issued, the user requests the connection contract while the permit is valid. The contract sets the tariff, deadlines and obligations, and the guarantee stays in place until final energisation. The connection installation and upstream reinforcement are then built; if works for which the operator is responsible run late, the operator can extend the contract’s duration in successive 12-month periods by addendum.

After acceptance of the commissioned connection installation and, where applicable, the test period, the operator issues the connection certificate on its own initiative, without a request, provided the plant meets the ATR conditions and the file is complete. The certificate sets the approved export capacity, installed capacity, the connection, delimitation and metering points, and the monitoring and control requirements, including the SCADA interface. In addition:

• it is valid for as long as the installations exist and becomes an annex to the transmission, distribution or supply contract;
• it ceases to be valid if the plant’s technical data change without an update, for example when a battery is added;
• projects built in phases receive successive certificates, one per phase;
• if the reinforcement works in the ATR are not finished, the certificate may impose operating conditions, including a limit on exported power, until they are.

For projects holding a Contract for Difference, commercial operation must be reached within 36 months of signing, so any connection delay hits revenue directly.

Connecting a solar park, wind farm or battery

The procedure is the same for solar parks, wind farms and storage installations. Order 15/2026 made clear that a generation site includes storage installations, including stand-alone ones, and the auction also covers batteries of 5 MW or more added to an existing park. A hybrid project therefore needs to be declared as such from the start, in both the allocation request and the connection request.

Between 1 January and 21 August 2026, 2,514 MW of new capacity was connected, including 1,331 MW of photovoltaic, 663 MW of storage and 496 MW of wind, according to Transelectrica. Location matters as much as technology, because where the grid needs reinforcing, the cost of the works feeds the auction starting price.

Households and prosumers: a separate route

Many searches for a connection certificate (certificat de racordare) come from homeowners installing rooftop panels. Their connection follows a separate ANRE procedure for prosumers, approved by ANRE Order 19/2022 and handled by the local distribution operator. It also ends with a connection certificate, and the distribution operator certifies prosumer status. The 1 MW and 5 MW thresholds in this guide do not apply to ordinary household systems; specific tariffs and timelines come from the distribution operator. On 31 May 2026, ANRE reported 346,194 prosumers with about 3.9 GW installed.

Why projects stall at grid connection

1. No capacity in the zone. When requests exceed available capacity, the starting price includes the reinforcement needed and the auction becomes competitive.
2. Land. A right of use that expires before the end of the commissioning year, or a problematic land register extract, stops the request.
3. The 12- and 18-month deadlines. Environmental approvals, urban planning, the building permit and the setting-up authorisation must all fit inside this window, or the ATR falls away.
4. Liquidity. The participation guarantee, the 20% tariff guarantee, the 1% guarantee and the payment of at least 20% within 30 days are funded before any revenue.
5. Late reinforcement. Upstream works are the operator’s responsibility; delays extend the contract and can limit exported power.
6. A configuration changed along the way. A change in capacity or technology without updating the ATR or the certificate puts their validity at risk.

Momentum Energy’s view

Grid connection is no longer a formality at the end of development but the first thing we check on any project: the ATR and its deadlines, the allocation contract, proof of guarantees and the status of permits. The 2026 rules ask for more capital up front, but they show clearly which projects genuinely have a place on the grid.

As an EPC holding ANRE certifications E1, E2 and A3 (design, execution and testing, under ANRE Order 134/2021), we work on the electrical side of power plants through to commissioning, including the tests for technical compliance. In 2026 we completed the 13.3 MWp plant at Lunca Mureșului and on 1 October started works on a 79 MWp plant, both in Alba County. Our services also include project sourcing and development for investors entering Romania.

Sources and references

Organisations and documents cited in this article.

1. ANRE, Ordinul nr. 15/2026 (Monitorul Oficial nr. 436 din 25 mai 2026)
2. ANRE, Ordinul nr. 53/2024 și Metodologia privind alocarea capacității rețelei electrice (Monitorul Oficial nr. 758 din 2 august 2024)
3. Transelectrica, Procedura privind alocarea capacității rețelei electrice, actualizată în iunie 2026 (nr. 30934/11.06.2026)
4. Regulamentul privind racordarea utilizatorilor la rețelele electrice de interes public (Ordinul ANRE nr. 59/2013), formă consolidată
5. ANRE, Ordinul nr. 19/2022, procedura de racordare a prosumatorilor
6. ANRE (Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority)
7. Transelectrica (transmission system operator)
8. National Bank of Romania (BNR)