Electrica Q1 net profit surges 58% as competitive pricing returns

Business Forum
Romanian energy group Electrica recorded a 58.2% surge in net profit for Q1 2026, driven by a transition back to competitive market mechanisms following the removal of price capping schemes.

The company's net profit reached RON 309.6 million lei (€61.92 million) for the three months ending 31 March 2026, up from RON 195.7 million lei (€39.14 million) in the same period last year. This strong bottom-line growth was supported by improved operational performance and higher returns on surplus liquidity investments.

Operational earnings (EBITDA) rose by 25.7% to RON 577.5 million lei (€115.5 million), up from RON 459.3 million lei (€91.86 million) in Q1 2025. The supply segment was the primary driver of this growth, with its EBITDA increasing by RON 76.0 million lei (€15.2 million) to reach RON 113.1 million lei (€22.62 million). 

Revenues for the supply division jumped 30.7% to RON 2.3 billion lei (€475.14 million), offsetting a 6.9% decline in retail electricity volumes.

Alexandru Chiriță, CEO at Electrica, said: "The first quarter of 2026 marked a fundamental transition in the energy market. The return to competitive mechanisms, after a prolonged period of volatility and intervention, has redefined the conditions in which all actors in the sector operate. In such a context, competitive advantage is built on operational discipline and the ability to allocate capital correctly."

In the distribution segment, revenues edged up 0.3% to RON 1.3 billion (€260.42 million), supported by a 1.5% increase in distributed energy volumes to 4.7 TWh. Meanwhile, the generation segment saw revenues climb 65.8% to RON 4 million lei (€0.8 million) following the commissioning of the Vulturu and Satu Mare 2 solar farms.

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