Romania revives communist-era hydro project amid green protest
Date: November 6th 2024
Author: Dalibor Dobrić
Category: En.vision
Topic:
Electricity
, Renewables
A local Romanian environmental protection agency on Tuesday published the approved environmental agreement, needed for the completion of the 35 MW Rastolita hydropower plant, amid continued opposition from local environmentalists.
This hydropower project in the northern part of the country was initiated during Romania’s communist era but never completed.“This is a decisive step toward completing this investment, with hopes of achieving a new milestone: the first hydropower plant completed among those started before 1989, with a high degree of completion,” the country’s energy minister Sebastian Burduja said on LinkedIn.
However, environmental organisations claim that the plant’s limited power output does not justify the damage its construction will cause to its natural habitat which lies within a Natura 2000 protected area. If built, the hydropower plant would negatively impact the biodiversity of 10 rivers in the region, they argue.
Burduja did not provide a schedule for Rastolita's implementation in his post but did welcome his government’s decision to expropriate land needed for power lines which would enable the connection of the 40.5 MW Bumbesti-Jiu hydropower plant to the national grid.
“Practically, we’ve also unblocked this project and are moving toward its completion in 2025,” Burduja said.
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