The output of wind farms is mostly taken over by the national energy system. This means that if consumption is low, and the wind farms generate energy, the National Energy Dispatcher (DEN) halts coal-based electricity production to balance the system. When the wind stops blowing, coal-based units are started to cover the consumption needed.

The Oltenia Energy Complex, which brings together energy based on lignite, was heavily affected, lately by this mechanism for the coming into the market of the renewable energy producers.

Laurenţiu Ciurel, the general executive manager and president of the Directorate of the Oltenia Complex said: "The priority in taking on the wind energy leads to the significant increase in the production costs of the coal-based energy groups due to an inefficient operation, in a variable system, an uneconomical loads, below the optimum yield, following the frequent turn-ons and shutdowns of the decided by the DEN in order to balance the system.

Over the last few weeks, daily turnoffs have been turned on and off daily for each 330 MW unit. There have been cases where, in 24 hours, the DEN decided the shutdown and turn on at the Oltenia Complex of a cumulated capacity of approximately 800 MW, which involves costs of 200,000 Euros/day, and implicitly millions of Euros/year".

In his opinion, there is a need to change the regulations in the industry, namely the change in the order the renewable energy producers come into the renewable and cogeneration energy market: "The new law of energy does not stipulate that producers of renewable energy (wind, solar, hydroelectric, etc) are required to provide replacement energy. They could sign contracts for the replacement energy with the safe producers, such as the Oltenia Complex".

The director of the Oltenia Complex also told us that the current support scheme for renewable en