Connection steps

What are the steps to be covered for the connection to the electricity distribution grid? See below.

1. Get informed

The process for the connection to the electricity distribution grid is a complex one, so make sure you get accurate and complete information on all its elements. We are there to provide you with all the details, as follows:

  • In customer relation centers in Banat, Dobrogea and Muntenia. See their addresses here.
  • Right here, under the Connection tab and in the guidelines below. You can also request grid connection directly from your account.
  • Through the channels dedicated to the connection to the grid:
Region
Phone number
Banat
0372.436.285
Dobrogea
0372.436.286
Muntenia
0372.436.287

 

2. The submission of the connection application and the documents you will need

The first thing you need to do once you have requested information on the connection process is to submit an application for the issue of the Technical Approval for Connection (TAC). This application form can be obtained from our customer relation office or from here. Make sure that you also include in the application your email, so as to be able to contact us during the process.

After submitting the connection application and validating it, we will send you the invoice for issuing/updating the Technical Approval for Connection. In order to receive the Technical Approval for Connection, you must pay the issue/update fee.

In parallel with the connection application, you can also submit the location approval application. Download the “Location approval application” form here, depending on the area where the future consumption place is located. You may submit the application through the supplier, in our customer relation centers or directly online, from your account.

Alongside the location approval notice, you will also submit the documentation with a structure that depends upon the category of the construction or plant through which the approval is requested. Double check if you have all your documents ready, using the table here.

See here the rates for the issue of the technical connection approval and for the issue of the location approval.

 

3. Identification of the grid connection solution

According to the legal provisions, we identify the solution for the connection to the power distribution grid.

To develop the technical connection solution, the Rețele Electrice team can request a Virtual Visit to inspect the electrical installation at the consumption place for which you are requesting a power supplementation. Read more about the virtual tour here.

If the solution is set based on a solution study, you may choose a certified designer to draft the Solution Study and you may participate in the approval board debates.

 

4. Issuance of the Technical Approval for Connection

We issue the Technical Approval for Connection under the form of a connection offer. If the issue/update fee is not paid within 12 months as of the issue date, the TAC becomes null and void.

If you obtained the approval, but you are not satisfied with the connection solution offered by the TAC or by the connection rates, or both, you can challenge it  - see more details here.

Pursuant to Article 31 of the Connection Regulation, provided a technical connection approval is issued for the connection of a new consumption and/or production place to the public power grid or for the approval of an increase in power, which results in a total approved power for consumption or for discharge of more than 1 MW at the consumption and/or production place in question, the grid operator shall require, via the technical connection approval, that the user establishes a financial guarantee on its behalf, provided reinforcement works on the power grid upstream of the connection point are necessary in order to create the technical conditions required for connection.

The value of the financial guarantee, which the concessionaire distribution operator is entitled to request from the non-domestic user through the technical approval for connection to the public interest power grid of a place of consumption, with a total approved power for consumption greater than 1 MW, represents a percentage of no more than 20% of the component value of the connection fee corresponding to the construction of the connection installation, and for the design and execution thereof, respectively.

Thus, the following percentages of the connection fee value are established:

a) 5%, provided the grid reinforcements included in the Distribution Operator Investment Plan are required;

b) 10%, provided grid reinforcements are required (110 kV lines) in addition to the current Distribution Operator Investment Plan;

c) 20%, provided reinforcements are required only for the MV networks or for the transformer stations (transformer station components), in addition to the current Distribution Operator Investment Plan.

This guarantee shall be charged until the conclusion of the connection contract with the producers and after the conclusion of the connection contract with the consumers.

The value and form of the financial guarantee shall be recorded in the technical connection approval and in the connection contract. The conditions for the execution/return/termination of the financial guarantee are provided in the connection contract. The financial guarantee shall be maintained for the entire duration of the connection contract, including for the 5-year period from the commissioning of the connection installation.

5. Requesting the connection contract and choosing the operator who will design/execute the electrical installation

Once the TAC is obtained, you can apply for the connection contract. The application can be downloaded here and will be submitted through the same channel you used when you applied for the technical connection approval - in our customer service centres, via your electricity supplier or directly online from your account.

The following options are available for the design and execution of the electrical installation: 

  • Carrying out the design and execution work with or through us:
    • You can choose an approved designer/contractor to carry out the connection installation. See here the list of economic operators certified by ANRE. If you decide to entrust the design/execution to a third party, we will recalculate the price according to the offer of the chosen certified designer/executor.
    • If you do not opt for the choice of a designer/performer, we will carry out the work ourselves through an approved operator chosen by public procurement procedure.

In this case, you will pay the bill for the connection fee on time. At the end of the connection process, we will refund any unused amount.

  • Carrying out the design and execution work directly with a certified designer/contractor for the realisation of the connection installation:
    • See here the list of economic operators certified by ANRE. In this case you will manage the execution of the design/execution contracts.

Together with the notification of the conclusion of the connection contract, the documentation shall also include a copy of the design/execution contract, the general estimate drawn up by the chosen designer or builder (and possibly the invoice/proof of payment of the execution contract).

You will pay us the invoice for the TU component of the connection fee (for carrying out the verification of the user installation file and the powering up of this installation) within the due deadline.

 

6. Design and execution of the connection works

In case the implementation of the design and execution works is carried out with/through us, the start of the execution works will be done only after:

  • You pay the connection fee
  • You submit the objective building permit
  • We obtain the permit for the development of the connection works
  • The superficies/use/easement contract is concluded, as applicable

 

7. Submission of the Facility Usage File

Submission of the Facility Usage File is mandatory to complete the connection process. You can choose an approved economic operator* for this dossier. See the list of operators certified by ANRE.

 

8. Reception and commissioning of the connection installation

Once the work is completed, we put the connection plant into operation.

 

9. Power-up for the trial period of the user installation

This stage only applies to production/consumption and production sites.

 

10. Issuing the Connection Certificate

We issue the Certificate of Connection of the consumption/consumption and production/production site after submission of the Utilization Facility File and completion of the works (and the Certificate of Technical Compliance in the case of certain producers).

 

11. Conclusion of the electricity supply contract

For the installation of the meter and the powering up of the user installation, it is compulsory to conclude an electricity supply contract with the supplier of your choice.

 

12. Final power-up (including meter installation)

Once the supply contract has been concluded, the electricity supplier of your choice will in turn conclude a distribution contract with us and ask us to activate the supply contract, which involves installing the meter and switching on the power to the user installation.

 

13. Reimbursement of the cost of the design and execution of the connection work

If you fall into one of the categories below, the distribution operator will refund the average connection charge:

  • household customers connected to the low-voltage grid with a connection application date after 31.12.2021;
  • public institutions, licensed individuals, individual enterprises, family businesses connecting to the low-voltage grid with the date of submission of the connection application after 31.12.2021 for which no connection contracts have been concluded by 25.07.2022.