Electricity

Romanian households faced the EU’s highest electricity costs on a purchasing-power basis in the first half of 2026. The country also recorded the bloc’s largest annual rise in household gas prices, at 9.3%.

BESS Sibenik, a 60 MW / 120 MWh standalone battery in Croatia, has been commissioned, with HOPS contracting its full capacity for aFRR services since September. The project cost approximately 60 million euros and is designed to earn market-based revenue from storage and ancillary services.

Romanian households had the EU’s highest electricity costs on a purchasing-power basis in the first half of 2026. The country also recorded the bloc’s largest annual increase in household gas prices.

Renewable electricity producers in Serbia, Montenegro and other Western Balkan markets may not qualify for actual-emissions treatment on EU exports based on low-carbon generation alone. An illustrative scenario puts the six-month opportunity cost for a 130 MW onshore wind project at €8.9 million if it sells locally instead of accessing higher-priced EU markets.

CBAM requirements could affect the revenue and financing of renewable projects in Serbia, Montenegro and the wider Western Balkans. The Energy Community Secretariat’s Q2 2026 assessment highlights verification, power purchase agreement eligibility and access to EU market prices as challenges.

The Energy Community Secretariat warned that carbon-related costs on electricity exports to the EU could take effect before Western Balkan markets are fully integrated. An exemption for electricity is conditional, and proposed changes to the CBAM framework had not been enacted by early November 2026.