Romania
ROURomania has cleaned up its grid faster than most people realise.
Low-carbon electricity went from 43% to 68% in 20 years.
What this grid depends on
Three measures that say more about a country than how much power it makes. Open “what this means” on any of them if the term is new.
Cleaner than 7 in 10 grids worldwide.
What this means
How much planet-warming gas is released to make one unit of electricity. Two countries can generate exactly the same amount and one of them be ten times dirtier doing it. Lower is better.
Romania buys in more electricity than it sends out.
What this means
The share of the electricity used here that was generated abroad and carried in over high-voltage lines. The higher it climbs, the more this country relies on a neighbour to keep its lights on.
A mix of fuel produced at home and fuel bought in.
What this means
How much of what this grid runs on the country can supply itself. Sun, wind and water count fully, because nobody can cut them off; coal, gas and oil only as far as the country digs them up. A high score is not the same as a good grid: mining your own coal scores well, importing uranium scores badly.
Also true of Romania
Romania has no dominant fuel at all.
Its largest single source supplies just 24% of the grid.
Gas overtook coal on Romania's grid in 2023.
Today gas supplies 19% and coal 13%.
Hydro overtook coal on Romania's grid in 2018.
Today hydro supplies 24% and coal 13%.
Romania’s neighbours
HungarySolar overtook gas on Hungary's grid in 2024.
BulgariaNuclear overtook coal on Bulgaria's grid in 2023.
SerbiaSerbia gets next to none of its electricity from solar, in a region built on it.
UkraineUkraine is third in the world for nuclear.
MoldovaMoldova uses less electricity per person than any other country in Europe.
Figures are for 2025, the most recent year reported for Romania. Generation shares are a percentage of electricity generated, not of energy used. How this is calculated.