PPC Blue builds fast chargers on Romania’s A7 highway
The Greek charging provider PPC Blue continues its expansion in Romania: In partnership with the Romanian oil company Oscar, it is building and operating 30 fast charging stations along Romania’s A7 highway. Nearly half of these are intended for electric trucks and buses.
Image: PPC Blue
This is already the third time this year that we are reporting here on PPC Blue’s expansion plans: In May, the subsidiary of Greece’s power provider Public Power Corporation (PPC) announced plans to build 106 fast and ultra-fast charging stations at 34 strategic locations along key European transportation routes in Romania and Greece. In June, a partnership was formed with Romania’s hardware store chain Dedeman, with plans to install more than 600 charging stations at Dedeman’s stores and logistics centers across the country.
30-Year Concession for Rest Areas
Next is the partnership with Oscar Downstream: This oil company, which also owns a franchise network of gas stations, previously won a bid to operate managed service areas on both sides of Romania’s A7 highway near Milcovul. The concession for this will last 30 years.
PPC Blue is involved in the charging infrastructure for these service areas: The company is responsible for installing and operating the charging stations for those 30 years. A total of 30 fast-charging points are involved. 16 of these charging options for electric vehicles have already been installed by the highway authority and each has a capacity of at least 150 kW. PPC Blue will bring them online once the concession contract takes effect.
PPC blue will also install truck charging points
Additionally, PPC blue will also install 14 fast charging stations for electric trucks and buses. These stations are expected to have a capacity of at least 350 kW.
“On the highway, stop times are short, so charging capacity and speed are crucial. In Milcovul, we will set up high-performance charging stations for electric cars and trucks in the same service area. For transportation companies transitioning to electric mobility, this infrastructure must be available before they need it. We are pleased to launch this project together with our partner Oscar Downstream,” says Andreea-Dana Popescu, General Manager of PPC Blue Romania.
"This project benefits both drivers and freight operators on the A7. For us, it is a logical step toward rest stops that meet actual needs. The partnership with PPC blue, an experienced partner, supports us from the very beginning," adds Nicolae Banica, CEO of Oscar Downstream.
In Romania, PPC blue currently operates over 1,400 charging points in all counties of the country, with a total installed capacity of over 46 MW. According to the company, this makes PPC blue one of the largest operators of charging infrastructure in Romania.