PPC, the largest power supplier in Greece, plans to invest €3bn in Romania over the next three years as part of a wider regional programme, Economica reported on November 20. The company, which entered the Romanian market after acquiring Enel’s operations in 2021, outlined the plans during its Capital Markets Day event.

The investments form part of a €10bn programme focused on renewable energy, flexible generation, network expansion and customer-centred services across South-Eastern Europe, according to PPC’s presentation. Roughly 30% of the total, or €3bn, will be directed to Romania.

PPC stated that €800mn of the Romanian allocation will be invested in distribution networks. Through its subsidiary Rețele Electrice, the company controls three of Romania’s eight distribution regions.

In power generation, PPC, already the country’s largest investor in renewable energy with about 1.3GW of capacity, plans to expand output from roughly 2 TWh this year to approximately 5 TWh by the end of 2028. The company’s own production is expected to cover a larger share of the customer portfolio’s electricity demand, which stands at about 7 TWh and is projected to reach 8 TWh annually by 2028.

The group also reaffirmed plans to develop a gas-fired “peaker” plant in Romania to support renewable balancing. The project, described as an OCGT facility with a minimum capacity of 80 MW, is not expected to be operational before 2030. PPC said it is assessing potential sites and finalising negotiations.

“I cannot reveal the locations of the targeted sites, because we are still in negotiations. We are very close to finalising negotiations for one or two sites. The total installed capacity will not exceed 100-150MW,” PPC chief executive officer Georgios Stassis said.

Industry sources cited by Economica indicated that one potential site is in the Reșița area in the southwest, where the company also operates distribution infrastructure.

PPC recently expanded its Romanian renewable portfolio with a new 130MW photovoltaic plant in Călugăreni, developed with Metlen Energy & Metals under a partnership expected to reach 460MW of solar capacity by year-end.