(ANSA) - BUCHAREST - Italian Enel Group has planned investments of EUR 329 million in Romania for the current regulatory cycle ending in 2018, of which over EUR 151 million in 2017 and EUR 178 million in 2018, Georgios Stassis, Country Manager of Enel in Romania, announced on Thursday in a press release.

Thus, the company continues the investment programme, which reached over EUR 3 billion since it entered the domestic market.

Out of the EUR 151 million investment scheduled for this year in Romania, EUR 139 million are aimed at distribution networks and from the investment planned for 2018 of EUR 178 million, EUR 168 million are to improve grid performance.

Georgios Stassis announced that Romania can reach its target required at European level to install smart meters by 2020 at 80 percent of electricity consumers. Moreover, it’s also possible that all users to benefit from smart metering systems by 2023.

Overall, the company has 2.7 million consumers in Romania.

Globally, the Italian group has installed already about 35 million smart meters in the countries where it operates. (ANSA).