Romania’s Competition Council will in a few days approve Premier Energy’s takeover of Distribuție Energie Oltenia (DEO) networks, council president Bogdan Chirițoiu said on Friday. In essence, he argued, the old CEZ setup is being rebuilt: Premier already holds supply and is now buying distribution.

“In a few days we will approve Premier’s takeover of the energy networks in Oltenia… CEZ left, the Australians came, they split the business, sold supply first, now they sell distribution, Premier buys them,” Chirițoiu told a sector event, according to Agerpres.

On 7 July 2026 the authority said it was reviewing Premier Energy PLC’s bid for Evryo Power and Felix Distribution Holdings, which owns DEO. On 16 October it put Premier’s proposed commitments out for public consultation to address competition concerns.

The main worry: after vertical integration, the new group could use informational and operational advantages from controlling DEO to make it harder for rival suppliers to win or keep customers. Premier offered behavioural remedies for 24 months after clearance, covering customer retention, use of sensitive commercial data and non-discriminatory treatment of suppliers.

Chirițoiu said Premier has essentially accepted the conditions and that the file is “very advanced”. DEO runs a regulated network across seven south-western counties: Dolj, Olt, Vâlcea, Mehedinți, Gorj, Argeș and Teleorman.

Premier Energy operates in Romania in renewables, gas distribution and electricity and gas supply. Evryo Power provides operational services for the distribution platform; Felix Distribution Holdings is the DEO holding company.

Source: Chirițoiu: In a few days we approve Premier’s takeover of Oltenia energy networks (Agerpres)