Ernst&Young ranks Romania 10th in wind energy index

In the overall ranking Romania occupies 13th place, unchanged from the previous report, the consultancy said in the 35th issue of the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices report.

Wind energy in Romania flourished since the start of the green certificates (GC) scheme. From just 12 megawatts (MW) in 2009 wind power output rose to 1,440 MW in September. A further 600 MW are expected by end-2013.

In terms of investments in solar power, Romania ranked 24th, down three places from the previous report published in August. "The uptake of solar projects in the country is still relatively slow, with only 5 MW of installed capacity. However, the sector is expected to experience significant growth in the medium term due to the attractive incentive scheme (6GCs/MW), shorter construction schedule and smoother development process," the report added.

Moreover, Romania is expected to attract the outflow of investors from neighbouring Bulgaria, the only other Southeast European country that made it into the index, after the company introduced dramatic cuts in subsidies for renewables.

The Ernst & Young Country Attractiveness Indices analyses quarterly the top 40 most investment-attractive countries in terms of their renewable energy markets, the respective infrastructure and individual technology competitiveness.