Romanian large-sized industrial consumers pay an average price of EUR 192 per MWh of electricity, compared to an average of EUR 113 per MWh paid by their peers in European countries, according to a report by the Association of Large Energy Consumers in Romania (ABIEC).

Consequently, the trade deficit in the major industrial sectors is widening while the industrial activity is losing momentum, the report concludes.

"The trade deficit in mineral products, construction materials, chemical and metallurgical products has grown rapidly in recent years and already exceeds EUR 9.4 billion (some 3% of GDP)," reads the ABIEC study, quoted by Cursdeguvernare.ro.

For comparison, the Greek factories pay EUR 65 per MWh, those in Spain pay EUR 95, and the Bulgarian factories pay EUR 102 per MWh.

Among the members of the association are metallurgical, chemical fertilizer and construction materials companies, with aggregated consumption amounting to 10% of the total national electricity consumption.

The companies' data shows that the price of energy has increased 5 times compared to the pre-pandemic level, while the price of goods increased only 1-2 times.

iulian@romania-insider.com

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