DRI CEO Ivan Geliukh at ZF Power Summit: “In Romania we are a well-established IPP and we continue to expand”
“DRI, with a a 299MW portfolio of renewable energy, is a well-established Independent Power Producer in the Romanian market, and we continue to expand as we are looking at investment opportunities in the battery energy storage technology (BESS)”. This is what Ivan Geliukh, our CEO, underlined at ZF Power Summit in Bucharest, discussing DRI’s renewables operation and future development in Romania and Europe, with Cristian Hostiuc, ZF editorial director, and Roxana Petrescu, ZF senior editor.
DRI was a sponsor and a speaker at ZF Power Summit, the most important event dedicated to the energy market in Romania, which took place in Bucharest from 26 to 28 February. Our Romanian team joined more than 250 attendees to discuss investment opportunities in renewables and battery storage, evolution of regulation and of energy prices.
DRI’s CEO explained that “in Romania DRI has a 299MW portfolio of renewable energy, which in addition to our two operational and one power-generating projects, includes a fourth project that we started construction in January this year”. Geliukh also undelined the crucial role of battery energy storage in the development of the renewable energy sector, “as it can help stabilise the energy production, providing more flexibility to the grid”. He also announced that DRI is proactively looking at investment opportunities in BESS sector. “Romania is a key market for DRI, said Geliukh in responde to questione from the two ZF journalists, and we will continue to invest in countries that have good regulatory stability”.
In Romania DRI has two operational and one power-generating projects totalling 173MWp, and a 126MWp under construction. DRI built the first wind farm of 60 MWp, in Ruginoasa, Iasi County, in the country in a decade, in only 10 months, and in January started building another solar park in Vacaresti, Dambovita County (126 MWp). Once in operations the Vacărești solar park is expected to generate 205.8GWh of electricity, enough to power approximately 50,000 households and prevent 48,600 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.