Bulgaria and Romania eye 2034 revival of 800 MW hydro plant

Date: August 5^th 2024

Topic: Electricity , Renewables , Ecology

The Bulgarian and Romanian state-owned utilities Nek and Hidroelectrica are looking to revive a cross-border hydropower project with potential capacity of up to 800 MW and an expected commissioning date in 2034.

The Turnu Magurele-Nikopol plant, which has been on hold for decades, was recently added to the EU list of renewable energy cross-border projects (CB RES list), taking it a step closer to receiving EU funding.

The project is set to include two hydro plants, one in each country, and aims to optimise the potential of the Danube River.

“We are currently analysing the possibility of developing the project at its originally planned capacity, including two 400 MW plants, but the specific parameters cannot be confirmed at this stage,” a Nek spokesperson told Montel on Monday.

“We expect the commissioning date of the project to be in 2034,” she added.

Construction began in 1978 but was later halted, and there have been unsuccessful attempts at reviving the project since.

The plant is one of three projects added to the CB RES list in 2024.

Balancing support

Once operational, the complex will aid balancing in both countries, market participants have said.

“Run-of-river generation output could provide cheap electricity for the Romanian and Bulgarian grids, and support both systems at times of peak demand,” a Romanian trader told Montel, adding that the project has the potential to help meet the balancing needs of the wider Balkan region.

A second market participant cautioned that delays are possible, given the complexity of hydropower projects and the time required to secure funding.

“2034 is a [realistic] deadline, but first let’s get the funding secured to kick-off the project,” he said.

In June, NEK said that it will work closely with the European Investment Bank on the construction of two pumped-storage hydropower plants in Bulgaria with a total capacity of 1.6 GW, which are set to be operational by 2032.