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When you hear the word Romania, what first springs to mind is probably medieval castles or the legendary Count Dracula. Now, you can add renewable energy to the list. According to Balkan Green Energy News, Romania will finally become home to the largest solar power project in the entire EU. Rezolv Energy, the company behind the project, got the green light from the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority to move forward with constructing a massive solar site in Romania’s Arad province: the Dama Solar.
Spain’s Iberian Peninsula solar panels already produced a surplus of energy in 2026, and England is investing heavily in solar farms. Now Europe has a new green energy haven, it seems. Valued at approximately 520 million euros, this single facility will take up over 2,400 acres of land in the northwest and will be powerful enough to deliver peak capacity of as many as 1.3 gigawatts. For reference, Germany’s Witznitz, currently the biggest facility in Europe, outputs “only” 650 megawatts at its peak.
The Romanian project, once operational, will also dwarf Spain’s Escatrón-Chiprana-Samper farm, which has 17 units combined outputting 850 megawatts. Despite Romania lagging behind other EU countries on the green energy front, the Dama Solar plant still had a rocky road. In fact, it took several years for the project to gain regulatory clearance. The biggest hurdle? Environmental concerns raised by the Transylvanian Carpathia Society, which fought back against the project in court, citing the protection of fauna and wildlife in the region.
Which country is No. 1 in solar energy?
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This massive project is impressive, yet in the grand scheme of things, the 1.3 gigawatts seems minor when compared to nations in the East. China has a solar power surplus others can only dream of, and that won’t change any time soon. In 2025, the country’s solar plants routinely generated 1.17 million gigawatt-hours, over 50% more than the United States.
In Europe, Germany is the undisputed leader in solar power, generating over 8,700 gigawatt-hours as of March 26. Yet, this accounts for only 21% of the country’s entire electricity generation. Hungary takes the cake on this front. Despite producing “just” 976 gigawatt-hours from solar, it’s number one in terms of the highest solar energy share during the same period. Romania, on the other hand, produced approximately 424 gigawatt-hours, but the country is quickly ramping up its endeavors, as Dama Solar is not the only project.
Romania has also received funds from the European Investment Bank to open three new solar power plants in the southwest. These facilities will have a capacity of 190 megawatts and, when constructed, will power over 160,000 homes. Either way, Romania will undoubtedly climb in the EU green energy rankings once all these projects become something more than drawings on a piece of paper.
