Practical guide to the ATR in Romanian energy projects, covering approved capacity, grid connection agreement, guarantees, BESS, valuation, SPA protections and due diligence.
The ATR, or Aviz Tehnic de Racordare, is one of the most important documents in Romanian energy projects because it sets the technical and economic conditions for grid connection.
Executive answer
The ATR, or Aviz Tehnic de Racordare, is one of the most important documents in Romanian energy projects because it sets the technical and economic conditions for grid connection.
Investor reading map
| First question | What capacity and connection rights does the ATR actually approve? |
| Second question | Is there a signed grid connection agreement implementing those conditions? |
| Third question | Does the ATR match the project design, permits, ANRE status and financial model? |
1. What does ATR mean?
ATR stands for Aviz Tehnic de Racordare, usually translated as Technical Connection Approval.
Under the Romanian grid connection regulation, the ATR is the written approval issued by the relevant grid operator for a specific site, setting out the technical and economic conditions for connecting a consumption site, production site, consumption-production site, storage installation or HVDC system to the public electricity grid.
In simpler business language:
The ATR is the document that tells the investor whether, where and under what conditions the project can connect to the Romanian electricity grid.
For renewable energy projects, this is critical because the value of the project depends not only on land and permits, but on the ability to export electricity into the grid.
For BESS projects, the ATR is equally important because the asset must both charge from the grid and discharge into the grid. The import and export conditions must therefore be analysed carefully.
2. Why the ATR matters so much in Romania
Romania has a large renewable energy pipeline, but grid capacity is limited in many areas.
That means an ATR can become one of the most valuable documents in a project file. It is often the difference between a speculative development opportunity and a serious grid-secured project.
For investors, the ATR affects:
A project with land but no ATR is usually early-stage.
A project with a valid ATR but no grid connection agreement is more advanced, but still not fully secure.
A project with a valid ATR, signed grid connection agreement, building permit, ANRE establishment authorisation and clear grid works is much closer to bankable RTB.
This distinction is extremely important in Romanian renewable energy transactions.
3. What the ATR normally contains
A properly reviewed ATR should answer several key questions.
| ATR item | Why it matters |
| Approved capacity | Shows the maximum power the project may inject or absorb |
| Point of connection | Shows where the project connects to the grid |
| Point of delimitation | Defines the boundary between user assets and grid operator assets |
| Voltage level | Affects cost, technical design and connection complexity |
| Connection solution | Shows whether the project connects directly, via new station, line, loop-in/out, etc. |
| Connection works | Identifies works needed for connection |
| Reinforcement works | Shows whether upstream grid works are required |
| Connection tariff | Affects CAPEX and transaction economics |
| Financial guarantee | Must be checked before signing or closing |
| Technical requirements | SCADA, protection, metering, reactive power, dispatch, system services |
| Validity and deadlines | Determines whether the project can keep the grid right alive |
| Operational limitations | May affect revenue and bankability |
For renewable energy investors, the most important ATR terms are usually:
For BESS, the analysis must also include:
4. ATR versus installed capacity
One of the most common mistakes in Romanian project teasers is confusing installed capacity with approved grid capacity.
A solar project may be described as:
“100 MWp solar project with ATR.”
But the real question is:
What capacity is actually approved for evacuation into the grid?
Romanian regulation defines putere aprobată as the maximum simultaneous active/apparent power that the user may absorb or evacuate through the connection installation, as recorded in the ATR. It also distinguishes this from installed capacity, which refers to the nominal technical capacity of generating units or equipment.
This distinction matters in practice.
A project may have:
- 120 MWp installed DC capacity
- 100 MW AC inverter capacity
- 80 MW approved evacuation capacity.
In that case, the grid value is not 120 MW. The relevant legal and commercial value is much closer to the approved evacuation capacity.
For BESS, the same logic applies. A project may be marketed as 100 MW / 200 MWh, but the ATR may impose different approved power for injection and absorption.
5. ATR versus grid connection agreement
The ATR is not the same as the grid connection agreement.
The ATR sets out the technical and economic conditions for connection. The grid connection agreement contractualises the implementation of those conditions: works, deadlines, tariff, guarantees, responsibilities and execution path.
Romanian law and regulation expressly connect the two stages: for connection and commissioning, the applicant or the authorised contractor must conclude a grid connection agreement with the distribution operator, and commissioning / energisation takes place under ANRE rules.
From an investor perspective:
| Document | Practical meaning |
| ATR | The project has received technical-economic connection conditions |
| Grid connection agreement | The parties have contractually agreed the implementation of the connection |
| Certificate of connection / CfR | The project has fulfilled the connection conditions and can operate under certified grid conditions |
A project with an ATR but without a grid connection agreement is not yet fully grid-secured.
A project with ATR + GCA is stronger, but still must be checked for costs, deadlines, reinforcements, guarantees and energisation conditions.
6. ATR versus certificate of connection
The certificate of connection — Certificat de Racordare / CfR — is issued after the connection conditions in a valid ATR have been fulfilled.
The regulation states that fulfilment of the grid connection conditions contained in a valid ATR is certified by the grid operator through the certificate of connection.
In practical terms:
- ATR = before construction / connection works
- GCA = contract for implementing connection works
- CfR = after connection conditions are met.
For acquisition due diligence, this matters because an operational project should not be reviewed only through the ATR. It should also have the relevant certificate of connection and ANRE licence documentation.
7. Who issues the ATR?
The ATR is issued by the relevant grid operator.
Depending on the project, this may be:
- the distribution operator
- the transmission system operator
- another network operator, where applicable.
The regulation provides that applications for production sites with installed capacity above 50 MW are addressed to the transmission system operator, while applications for production sites up to 50 MW are addressed, depending on location and grid availability, to the relevant distribution operator or other operator holding a nearby distribution network.
In practice:
| Project type | Usual grid operator route |
| Small PV / C&I | Distribution operator |
| Utility-scale PV up to 50 MW | Usually distribution operator, depending on location |
| Large PV / wind above 50 MW | Transelectrica / TSO route |
| 110 kV connected projects | Often complex DSO / TSO interface |
| 220 / 400 kV projects | TSO-level analysis |
| Standalone BESS | Depends on power, location and connection point |
The identity of the grid operator matters because it affects process, technical requirements, timing and negotiation dynamics.
8. The ATR process
The ATR process normally includes:
For projects connected at 110 kV or above, the connection solution for a production site is generally established through a solution study.
For larger projects, especially from 2026, capacity allocation must also be considered. Order 53/2024 introduced capacity allocation rules for production and consumption-production sites with installed generation capacity of at least 5 MW. It also amended the connection documentation framework so that the capacity allocation contract becomes relevant for such projects.
9. Capacity allocation and the ATR
One of the major changes in the Romanian market is the movement toward capacity allocation by auction for larger projects.
For production / consumption-production sites with installed generation capacity of at least 5 MW, Order 53/2024 provides that the issuance of the ATR is conditional upon fulfilment of payment obligations regarding allocated capacity under the capacity allocation contract.
This is extremely important.
It means that for new large projects, the ATR may no longer be analysed in isolation. Investors must also understand:
In 2026, the key question is no longer only:
“Does the project have an ATR?”
It is also:
“How was grid capacity secured, and can the project keep it?”
10. Financial guarantees connected to the ATR
Financial guarantees are now central to Romanian grid connection due diligence.
The current connection regulation provides that, for new production or consumption-production sites, including those with storage, where approved evacuation capacity exceeds 1 MW, the grid operator requires the user to constitute a financial guarantee in its favour. The in-force framework reflected in the uploaded Order 53/2024 materials sets the guarantee at 5% of the connection tariff, with the value and form of the guarantee to be included in the ATR and the grid connection agreement.
The guarantee may be executed if the user fails to comply with obligations under the grid connection agreement, including payment obligations, implementation of the user installation, development stages or transmission of the building permit within the required contractual deadlines.
This has direct transaction consequences.
For a buyer, the ATR guarantee is not just an administrative detail. It can affect:
In 2026, investors should also verify whether any new draft or final ANRE rules increase the guarantee burden, especially because ANRE has publicly moved toward a stricter anti-speculation approach in connection and licensing.
11. Why an ATR can still be risky
An ATR is valuable, but it is not automatically safe.
Below are the most common real Romanian risks.
Risk 1: ATR exists, but GCA is not signed
This is probably the most frequent issue in project acquisitions.
A seller says:
“The project has grid secured.”
But due diligence shows only an ATR, not a signed grid connection agreement.
This is weaker.
Without the GCA, the buyer may not yet have full contractual certainty on:
Buyer response: Do not price ATR-only projects as bankable RTB. Either make GCA signing a condition precedent or reflect the risk in the price.
Risk 2: ATR capacity differs from marketed capacity
A teaser may say 100 MWp, but the ATR may approve only 80 MW evacuation.
This affects revenue, valuation and financing.
Buyer response: Always distinguish installed capacity, inverter capacity, approved evacuation capacity and expected export capacity.
Risk 3: ATR does not include BESS
Many projects are now marketed as PV + BESS.
But the ATR may refer only to a production site, without storage. The regulation expressly treats storage installations and production/storage configurations as relevant connection cases, meaning storage must be analysed as part of the grid connection structure where it affects the project.
If BESS is not included in the ATR, the project is not a fully grid-approved hybrid project.
Buyer response: Treat BESS as future upside unless it is included in ATR, permits, ANRE authorisation and technical design.
Risk 4: ATR depends on reinforcement works
Some ATRs require specific or general reinforcement works in the upstream grid.
This may affect:
Buyer response: The solution study and GCA must be reviewed with technical advisers. The legal team should identify which works are user-funded, operator-funded, dependent on third parties, or required before energisation.
Risk 5: ATR includes operational limitations
12. ATR in solar projects
For solar projects, the ATR is usually one of the first major value milestones.
A serious ATR review for a PV project should check:
Real case: A 70 MWp PV project is marketed with ATR. Due diligence shows the ATR approves only 50 MW evacuation and requires a new 110 kV line with third-party land route not yet secured. This is not a clean RTB project; it is a grid-conditional project.
13. ATR in wind projects
For wind projects, ATR analysis must be even more careful because wind projects often have:
The ATR must be checked against:
Real case: A wind project receives an ATR based on a specific turbine model and layout. Later, the developer changes turbine model and increases capacity. That may require ATR update, technical revalidation and permitting amendments.
14. ATR in standalone BESS projects
For standalone BESS, the ATR is critical because storage is both a consumer and a producer from the grid’s perspective.
A BESS ATR must be reviewed for:
Real case: A BESS project is marketed as 100 MW / 200 MWh. The ATR confirms export capacity but does not clearly support the same import/charging capacity. The arbitrage model becomes questionable because the battery cannot charge as assumed.
15. ATR and project valuation
ATR quality directly affects project value.
A premium grid position may justify a higher price. A weak or conditional ATR should reduce the price.
| ATR status | Valuation impact |
| No ATR | Early-stage development value |
| ATR issued, no GCA | Development value with grid upside |
| ATR + GCA signed | Stronger RTB value |
| ATR + GCA + building permit | Advanced RTB value |
| ATR + GCA + BP + ANRE authorisation | Bankable RTB value |
| ATR with heavy reinforcements | Discounted value |
| ATR close to expiry | High-risk value |
| ATR not matching project | Material discount |
| ATR with constrained evacuation | Revenue discount |
| ATR including BESS | Higher value if all other permits match |
For investors, ATR review is not only legal DD. It is valuation work.
16. ATR due diligence checklist
A buyer should request and review:
The key DD question is:
Does the ATR describe the same project that the investor intends to buy, build and operate?
If not, the project may need an ATR update or may lose part of its value.
17. Common SPA protections related to ATR
In a Romanian renewable energy acquisition, the SPA should contain specific ATR protections.
Conditions precedent
The seller should warrant that:
Specific indemnities may be needed for:
If the ATR is not fully bankable, use:
18. The business meaning of an ATR
In simple terms, the ATR answers the investor’s most important grid questions:
- Can the project connect?
- Where can it connect?
- How much power can it inject or absorb?
- What must be built?
- Who pays?
- How long will it take?
- What limitations apply?
- What happens if deadlines are missed?
This is why the ATR is one of the first documents any serious investor, lender or buyer will ask for.
But the ATR should never be reviewed in isolation.
It must be read together with:
19. Practical conclusion
The ATR is one of the most important documents in Romanian energy projects.
For solar, wind and BESS investors, it is often the document that transforms a development idea into a potentially valuable grid-connected asset.
But an ATR is not a guarantee of success.
A good ATR can make a project bankable. A weak ATR can destroy a project’s economics. An ATR that does not match the project can create serious legal and commercial risk.
The strongest projects are not those that merely “have an ATR”.
The strongest projects are those where the ATR is valid, correctly issued, aligned with the permits, reflected in a signed grid connection agreement, supported by secured land rights, and capable of being implemented within the project’s financing and construction timeline.
In Romania, the value is not in paper MW.
The value is in MW that can actually connect.
Related reading and services
This article is part of the Romanian energy law content cluster. For the commercial route into a mandate, start with Energy Law in Romania and the Renewable Energy Legal Services page.
How Grigorescu Partners can help
Grigorescu Partners assists investors, developers, lenders and project owners with Romanian renewable energy projects, including legal due diligence, grid connection review, ANRE licensing, PPAs, EPC and O&M contracts, project acquisitions, project finance support and transaction execution.
If you are assessing a Romanian renewable energy project, the useful question is not only whether the project has documents. The useful question is whether those documents work together as a buildable, financeable and monetisable energy asset.