Transelectrica issues permits for first AI data centres in Romania

Romania’s national grid operator has begun issuing technical connection permits for the country’s first large data centres dedicated to artificial intelligence, with officials expecting facilities that consume hundreds or even thousands of megawatts to be online before 2030.

Virgiliu Ivan, director of the National Energy Dispatch (DEN) within Transelectrica, said the company has already met with potential investors and released the necessary ATRs (technical connection approvals). “We are confident that by 2030 we will have such data centres bringing hundreds or thousands of MW of energy consumption,” Ivan told the Focus Energetic conference. He did not name specific companies.

Investors are attracted by Romania’s energy mix, Ivan explained, which includes growing renewable capacity, natural gas resources and new gas-fired power plants. Unlike traditional server halls, AI data centres rely on powerful graphics processors that can draw up to ten times more electricity per cabinet and require intensive liquid cooling. A single hyperscale AI campus can reach 1,000 MW or more — roughly a tenth of Romania’s total peak demand of 8,000–9,000 MW.

To put that in perspective, Bucharest reaches around 1,000 MW only during the hottest summer afternoons when air conditioning runs at full tilt. An AI data centre of that size would need the same amount continuously, day and night, all year round.

Romania added 3,500 MW of new generation capacity in 2026, with another 1,000 MW expected before the end of the year. These additions proved crucial during a difficult summer when the Cernavodă nuclear plant was offline, Ivan said. Despite losing 3 TWh of output from Cernavodă, Romania still imported less electricity than in the previous year. The restart of Cernavodă’s Unit 2 brings some relief, but Ivan cautioned that winter is just beginning and the system must remain prepared for further challenges.