Jan 9, 2026
Romania intends to rent out unproductive land for renewable energy initiatives.
Romania is preparing legislation to allow concessions for the development of renewable energy plants on state-owned agricultural land that is unproductive and degraded. This initiative seeks to create designated areas for renewable energy projects, ensuring that all necessary permitting processes are completed within a 12-month timeframe.
The law would empower the State Domains Agency (ADS), which oversees state agricultural land, to grant concessions for land unsuitable for farming but viable for green energy production, as noted in a report by Profit.ro. This effort is part of the RePowerEU aspect of Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
Official designation of these areas will follow a mapping process to identify land, as well as marine and inland water areas, required for renewable energy power plant development and supporting infrastructure, including energy storage facilities to meet the 2030 renewable energy goals.
The areas for renewable energy initiatives will be determined post-mapping.
Although the deadline for identifying these areas is February 21, it is unlikely to be met due to the partial cancellation of a contract for the necessary geospatial data management software. The ADS has issued a new tender for this geospatial data system, with an estimated value of RON 7.7 million (approximately EUR 1.51 million), according to Profit.ro.
In the designated “areas suitable for accelerating renewable energy projects,” the process for obtaining all required legal authorizations is expected to take no more than 12 months, according to the report.
The Romanian Government has long aimed to modify the law governing the ADS to grant it the power to award concessions to both public and private entities for generating energy from renewable sources such as hydro, solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal energy, the news portal highlighted.
Hidroelectrica, Romania’s largest state-owned electricity producer, planned to develop a 1.5 GW photovoltaic park on extensive land managed by the ADS, which would become the largest of its kind in Europe.
The law would empower the State Domains Agency (ADS), which oversees state agricultural land, to grant concessions for land unsuitable for farming but viable for green energy production, as noted in a report by Profit.ro. This effort is part of the RePowerEU aspect of Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
Official designation of these areas will follow a mapping process to identify land, as well as marine and inland water areas, required for renewable energy power plant development and supporting infrastructure, including energy storage facilities to meet the 2030 renewable energy goals.
The areas for renewable energy initiatives will be determined post-mapping.
Although the deadline for identifying these areas is February 21, it is unlikely to be met due to the partial cancellation of a contract for the necessary geospatial data management software. The ADS has issued a new tender for this geospatial data system, with an estimated value of RON 7.7 million (approximately EUR 1.51 million), according to Profit.ro.
In the designated “areas suitable for accelerating renewable energy projects,” the process for obtaining all required legal authorizations is expected to take no more than 12 months, according to the report.
The Romanian Government has long aimed to modify the law governing the ADS to grant it the power to award concessions to both public and private entities for generating energy from renewable sources such as hydro, solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal energy, the news portal highlighted.
Hidroelectrica, Romania’s largest state-owned electricity producer, planned to develop a 1.5 GW photovoltaic park on extensive land managed by the ADS, which would become the largest of its kind in Europe.