SEE Energy News

Wind projects in Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina are advancing as wind gains commercial importance alongside solar. Their broader production profile can supply electricity beyond midday hours, while output volatility presents balancing and forecasting challenges.

Rising curtailment and falling solar capture prices in Greece are increasing the importance of storage and shaped power contracts for financing new photovoltaic projects across Southeast Europe.

Power prices in Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania reached close to €300/MWh on 4 November, keeping Southeast European prices above western European levels despite expanding renewable capacity. Constrained firm generation, scarce flexibility and transmission limits contributed to the premium.

Low-carbon electricity from Western Balkan renewable projects will not automatically qualify for actual-emissions treatment under the EU’s CBAM. The Energy Community Secretariat modelled €8.9 million in opportunity costs for a 130 MW wind project over six months if it had to sell locally instead of accessing higher-priced EU markets.

Scheduled electricity exchanges between the Western Balkans Six and neighbouring EU markets fell 17.8% in January–September 2026, while regional day-ahead trading volumes rose 26.7% year on year in the third quarter. The Energy Community Secretariat’s assessment links the diverging trends to a market in which CBAM costs and conditions increasingly shape cross-border trade.

EU electricity importers must declare embedded emissions and surrender CBAM certificates for power imported in 2026 by 30 September 2027. Certificate purchases begin in February 2027, making emissions evidence and the allocation of costs relevant to electricity contracts.