EC: No state aid in Romanian Hidroelectrica contracts with energy traders

The electricity supply contracts between state-owned power producer Hidroelectrica and some energy traders and industrial consumers didn’t involve state aid, according to EU norms. This is what the European Commission has decided, following an investigation initiated in April 2012. These contracts were either concluded under market conditions, or, in the cases where the tariffs were below the market level, the state can’t be considered responsible for the granted tariffs, according to the EC. The prices charged by Hidroelectrica for nine of its clients were in line with the market reference price. In the case of three other clients, the prices were below the reference price, but the EC’s investigation hasn’t established whether the decision to grant these players favorable conditions can be attributed to the Romanian authorities. editor@romania-insider.com