BUCHAREST, March 28, 2018 — The World Bank Office in Romania, in partnership with the General Secretariat of the Government and the National Regulatory Authority for Energy, hosted a workshop dedicated to discussing options for rolling out smart metering in Romania. The event is organized in the framework of technical assistance to develop the capacity of Romania’s central public administration to carry out impact studies.
All EU member states must achieve 80% installation of electricity smart meters by 2020, according to the EU’s Internal Market in Electricity Directive. Implementation in member states requires comprehensive analyses that consider both regulatory and quantitative aspects. Similarly, to other countries, Romania needs to make important decisions on smart metering implementation but has not yet conducted a full Regulatory Impact Assessment that takes into account the possible rollout options and assesses their impacts on the market, the environment, and society.
“Smart metering implementation could generate important benefits for the electricity network in Romania, including a reduction in energy losses and lower carbon emissions”, said Suzy Yoon-Yildiz, Acting World Bank Country Manager for Romania and Hungary. “The World Bank will continue to support Romania in its efforts to strengthen its capacity to assess options for smart metering, improve the overall functioning of the electricity sector and assess potential benefits and costs for consumers.”
World Bank support in the sector has included an analysis of the data and methodologies for a Cost-Benefit Analysis on smart metering implementation. With associated expenditures of such policy changes ranging from €700 million to €1 billion, a major focus of the World Bank has included options for carrying out a cost-benefit analysis drawing from the experience of other member states, including Germany, the UK, France, Hungary and others.
The World Bank opened its office in Romania in 1991. Since then, the Bank has provided over US$13.6 billion in loans, guarantees and grants in all sectors of the Romanian economy. The Bank’s current portfolio includes investment lending, analytical work, and technical assistance to support Romania’s reform priorities. In 2016, the World Bank Group and Romania celebrated 25 years of continued partnership in supporting poverty reduction and inclusive growth.
For more information about the World Bank's work in Romania, visit:
www.worldbank.org/en/country/romania
For more information on the World Bank’s work in Emerging Europe and Central Asia, please visit: www.worldbank.org/eca
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