Romania Records Historic Low Electricity Consumption on Easter: What It Means for the Grid

Romania experienced its lowest electricity consumption in history on Easter Sunday 2025, with daytime demand dropping to around 2,500 MW—a level not seen before, according to Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja.

This unprecedented low was attributed to the overlap of Orthodox and Catholic Easter, which led to the suspension of most economic activities and drove many Romanians outdoors to enjoy the weather, further reducing household and industrial electricity use.

Why Did Consumption Drop So Low?

Easter is traditionally a period of minimal industrial activity and reduced commercial operations. This year, the unique overlap of Orthodox and Catholic Easter celebrations intensified the usual holiday effect, resulting in a more pronounced decline in electricity demand.

Additionally, the favourable spring weather encouraged outdoor activities, reducing residential electricity consumption as people spent more time outside rather than at home using electrical appliances.

At the same time, the sunny conditions boosted solar photovoltaic generation, increasing the supply side of the electricity balance and contributing to a surplus on the grid.

How Did Romanian Authorities Respond?

Romania’s energy authorities anticipated the situation and implemented a series of coordinated measures to maintain grid stability:

• Reducing Generation: Hydropower plants were stopped, nuclear power at Cernavodă was reduced by up to 40%, and fossil-fuel plants operated at minimum capacity or were temporarily shut down.
• Prosumers Advised to Disconnect: The Minister of Energy publicly asked prosumers (households and businesses with rooftop solar panels) to turn off their inverters to prevent excess electricity from flooding the grid.
• Operational Readiness: The National Energy Command convened special sessions to analyse scenarios and prepare action plans, ensuring all stakeholders—from producers to grid operators—were ready to act.

Minister Burduja emphasised that, despite record-low demand and high renewable generation, there was no risk of a blackout or system inadequacy, thanks to Romania’s balanced energy mix and flexible grid management.

What Happens If Electricity Consumption Is Too Low?

Electricity grids must maintain a constant balance between supply and demand. If consumption falls too low while production remains high, especially with inflexible sources like solar or wind, the following risks and challenges arise:

• Grid Frequency Instability: Oversupply can cause the grid frequency to exceed safe levels, potentially leading to automatic disconnections or widespread power outages.
• Curtailment of Renewables: Grid operators may be forced to disconnect renewable sources or request that prosumers stop feeding power into the grid to prevent overloads.
• Operational Challenges: Large power plants, predominantly nuclear and coal, are not designed for rapid shutdowns or frequent ramping, making it difficult to adjust quickly to sudden drops in demand.
• Negative Electricity Prices: In some markets, extreme oversupply can result in negative prices, where producers are forced to pay to offload excess electricity.

How Was Grid Stability Maintained?

Romania’s grid operators used a combination of strategies:

• Flexible Dispatch: Shutting down or reducing output from hydro, nuclear, and fossil plants.
• Demand Management: Encouraging increased consumption where possible, such as using pumped hydro storage to absorb excess energy.
• Prosumers’ Cooperation: Requesting Small-Scale Solar Producers to Temporarily Disconnect
• Advance Planning: Convening the Energy Command to ensure all scenarios were covered and rapid response was possible.

Broader Context and Future Implications

Romania’s experience is emblematic of challenges faced across Europe as renewable energy capacity grows. Managing periods of low demand and high renewable output requires:

• More flexible generation and energy storage solutions
• Advanced grid management and real-time coordination
• Engagement with prosumers and large consumers to balance the system

It is worth mentioning that Romania’s only gigafactory has just been made operational by Prime Batteries at its facility near Bucharest. Prime Batteries is one of Europe’s largest suppliers of battery energy storage systems (BESS), particularly following Northvolt’s bankruptcy.

The successful handling of Easter 2025’s record-low consumption demonstrates the effectiveness of Romania’s current grid management, but also highlights the need for continued investment in flexibility and smart grid technologies as the energy transition accelerates.