Transparency In Energy Trading At What Price?

As of July 2012, power trading is available only on the power exchange Opcom.

Ban on directly negotiated transactions with electricity

As of 19 July 2012, freely negotiated bilateral transactions with electricity can no longer be entered into. Electricity may thus only be traded on the centralised platforms operated by the Romanian electricity and gas exchange, Opcom SA (Opcom).

This ban came in the context of increasing pressure to put a term to the historic long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) that had been entered into by the state-owned (hydro and fossil fuels) generators with various private entities. The perception was that such agreements were concluded for prices below market level and were drying up liquidity. The result was an increased need for transparency of electricity wholesale transactions.