Romania's energy minister plans to extend household gas support beyond 1 April

Household gas support after 1 April

Romania's energy minister, Dumitru Chisăliță, told Agerpres in an interview that he intends to propose extending a support scheme for household natural gas consumers beyond 1 April, when the current scheme ends. His stated aim is to avoid large price increases while the market moves to a new phase. He said the mechanism under study is an administrative price rather than a classic price cap, and that it could later be adapted for non-household users within national law and EU competition rules. He also said the ministry will set a concrete objective for what happens next by the end of 2026.

Chisăliță argued that a move from regulated pricing to a market needs a transition period, and that the market cannot be restarted overnight. He added that a sudden return to the market at the end of winter would be the wrong approach.

“Nowhere in the world has this happened overnight.”

Support for vulnerable consumers

Prime Minister Luca Niculescu said the electricity voucher mechanism for the most vulnerable people will be extended through the winter, and that the energy and finance ministers are discussing how far the vouchers can go. He recalled that the government had extended diesel measures the previous week for several more months, and said the National Energy Committee will be convened in the coming period. Chisăliță said a new support scheme for vulnerable consumers should come this year, designed to reach people who need help rather than giving small sums to very large groups. The ministry is working with the Labour Ministry, and the national registry of vulnerable consumers is estimated optimistically at 12 months, so transitional solutions based on existing data will be used. He also noted that Romania produces less gas than it consumes, so any measure has to be built on domestic output rather than imports.

Gas storage and winter supply

Niculescu said Romania's gas reserves are close to 90%. Extraction from underground storage began on 1 November, and a ProTV report places Romania among the best-stocked countries alongside Poland, Portugal and Denmark, well above an EU average below 75%. Germany and the Netherlands remain further behind, short of the EU target of 80%. Asked whether there were signs of supply problems, Niculescu replied:

“As far as security of energy and gas supply this winter goes, I would not be nervous.”

An energy expert quoted by ProTV, Mihnea Cătuți, explained that Romania's regulated household price meant gas was put into storage over the summer at a lower price than the market. Household bills stay at the current level until 31 March, when the cap expires. Industrial consumers have no such cap and face European exchange prices above 90 euro per MWh, against about 30 euro in early November last year, which the report describes as the most expensive gas in four years. The report links the spike to the war in Iran and warns that the higher energy cost could feed into product prices.

Cernavodă and US nuclear cooperation

Niculescu said he is in dialogue with the energy minister and company representatives about the Cernavodă plant, and that water flow had started to improve with the rain by 3 November. He gave no exact restart date.

“I hope it will be restarted in a few days.”

On Tuesday, 3 November 2026, Chisăliță met US Ambassador Darryl Nirenberg. According to a ministry statement carried by Agerpres, the talks covered Cernavodă Units 3 and 4, the small modular reactor project at Doicești and the Vertical Gas Corridor. They also discussed concrete ways to speed up nuclear projects, Romania's interest in new American investment including biomass, and training and exchanges on advanced nuclear technology. The statement said the meeting reaffirmed both sides' commitment to the Strategic Partnership.