Transelectrica Commissions Romania’s First 400 kV STATCOM
- News Power Quality Voltage & Reactive Power
Marin Holt
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- 5 minutes read
- Transelectrica commissioned Romania's first STATCOM at the 400/220/110/20 kV Sibiu Sud substation in December 2025.
- A second STATCOM at Bradu substation is on track for commissioning in the first half of 2026, ahead of the August 2026 contractual deadline.
- The two-unit project is valued at 260 million lei (~$57M), with 254 million lei funded by the EU Modernization Fund.
- The Siemens Energy and Electromontaj consortium installed the equipment.
- STATCOMs inject or absorb reactive power within milliseconds using VSC technology, enabling dynamic voltage control at 400 kV.
Romanian transmission system operator Transelectrica commissioned the country’s first static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) at the 400/220/110/20 kilovolt Sibiu Sud substation in December 2025. The installation provides dynamic reactive power compensation on Romania’s national transmission backbone, enabling faster voltage stabilization than conventional capacitor banks at transmission voltage for the first time.
What Is Being Built
The Siemens Energy SRL and Electromontaj SA consortium installed and passed technical acceptance tests at Sibiu Sud. A second STATCOM at the 400/220/110/20 kV Bradu substation is on track for commissioning in the first half of 2026, ahead of the contractual August 2026 deadline. The two-unit project carries a total value of 260 million lei (approximately $57 million), with 254 million lei financed non-reimbursably by the European Union’s Modernization Fund. This is one of 11 Transelectrica projects receiving EU non-reimbursable financing.
Unlike shunt capacitor banks, which switch reactive power in fixed steps, a STATCOM uses voltage-source converter technology to inject or absorb reactive power continuously and within milliseconds. At 400 kV transmission voltage, this allows the national grid operator to respond in real time to voltage swings from variable renewable output without relying on slower mechanical switching equipment.
Critical Perspective
The 8217 announced here reflects the press-release headline; the conditions, timelines, and cost structures that determine actual delivery are not addressed. Projects of this type in comparable markets have historically run 15-25% over initial timelines due to interconnection review, permitting, or equipment supply constraints. The question energy professionals should be asking: what are the contractual milestones and penalties that ensure this project delivers on its stated specifications and schedule?
Why It Matters
Romania generates approximately 14 percent of its electricity from wind and has large solar additions planned under national and EU decarbonization targets. The country’s eastern transmission corridors have faced voltage stability constraints as renewable capacity has grown faster than reactive compensation infrastructure. The Sibiu Sud and Bradu substations sit on key 400 kV corridors connecting renewable-heavy regions to load centers in Bucharest and industrial zones.
The two STATCOMs give Transelectrica fast, continuous voltage control at two strategic nodes on the 400 kV backbone, reducing renewable curtailment risk and improving supply security for industrial and residential consumers downstream. The Modernization Fund financing, drawn from EU Emissions Trading System revenues, links this grid modernization investment directly to the bloc’s carbon-reduction framework.
