Retele Electrice Romania has begun construction works on a new 110/20 kV transformer station in Balotesti, due to be completed in 2027 following an investment of over 75 million RON, financed from the company's own funds.
The project is aimed at increasing connection capacity and improve the security of electricity supply for customers in the areas of Balotesti, Corbeanca and Otopeni, according to a company press release.
Works on the structure of the building that will host the newest 110/20 kV station in Retele Electrice Romania's portfolio, a company part of the PPC group in Romania, began in January. The station is designed as a modern indoor facility, built for enhanced safety and high energy efficiency.
At the same time, work is under way to integrate the new transformer station into the existing energy network. Equipment will be installed at the Otopeni station, from where one of the high-voltage connections of the new station will be made, while the second high-voltage connection is planned to be carried out from the Buftea transformer station.
"The construction of a new transformer station in the Balotesti area represents a strategically important project aimed at increasing network resilience and availability, thereby improving distribution services in an area with continuously expanding consumption. Positioning the Balotesti station between the three transformer stations already operating in the area (Otopeni, Buftea and Caciulati) will enable efficient load balancing, reduced energy losses and enhanced security of electricity supply. The adopted solution ensures greater supply flexibility, the ability to manage power flows under various operating regimes and efficient integration into the electricity distribution infrastructure, thus contributing to improved system performance and reliability. The new high-voltage link between the Buftea station and the new Balotesti station will increase the flexibility of the high-voltage network by ensuring energy transit from western Bucharest to the northern part of the city," said Mihai Peste, General Manager of Retele Electrice Romania, as quoted in the release.
The station will be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to ensure reliable electricity distribution, including gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) units, and will be configured with a double busbar system connected by a transverse coupling (two line cells, two transformer cells, two metering cells and one coupling cell).
Initially, it will operate with two transformers of 25 MVA each, while the project allows for capacity expansion up to 2 x 63 MVA, depending on the evolution of energy consumption in the area. The new station will thus enable the connection of new consumers as infrastructure in the area develops.
The new station will be connected from the Otopeni power station through a modern technical solution using a high-voltage cable approximately 13 kilometres in length, ensuring safe and stable power supply to the future Balotesti station.
In the same area, Retele Electrice Romania is also carrying out modernisation works on medium-voltage power lines in the Balotesti locality, under a project co-financed through the Modernisation Fund managed by the Ministry of Energy.
The project is designed to modernise and boost the transmission capacity of several 20 kV and 0.4 kV overhead lines in Balotesti, Ilfov County, benefiting around 15,000 customers, with the infrastructure to be relocated underground in order to enhance the network's resilience.
In addition, transformer substations will be upgraded using concrete-encased units that provide a high degree of protection and resilience.
The modernisation works on the medium-voltage lines amount to over 115 million RON, of which 23 million RON will be covered from the distribution operator's own funds, with the remainder financed through the Modernisation Fund.
Retele Electrice Romania operates networks with a total length of around 134,000 kilometres in three major areas of the country - Muntenia (including Bucharest), Banat and Dobrogea - covering one third of the local distribution market. The networks operated by Retele Electrice Romania include 289 transformer stations and over 25,000 transformer substations.
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