The Romanian Ministry of Energy has picked up the slack on stalled hydropower developments and plans to inaugurate the first facility in over 34 years in 2025: the 30-megawatt Răstolița plant in Mureș County.
Last week, the government approved the decision for the expropriation corridor, an area that can be legally expropriated for the construction and operation of the plant. The decision allows for the updating of the list of privately owned real estate necessary for the realization of the utility, which has been declared a national security objective.
The next steps include removing the reservoir area from the forest fund, finalizing the remaining works (which are approaching completion), filling the reservoir and starting production. The strategic investment costs over 200 million euros.
One of the priorities of the Romanian Ministry of Energy is the completion of hydropower plants started before 1989, said Sebastian Burduja, Minister of Energy. “Blocked for decades, these projects represent Romania’s opportunity to have a safer, cheaper, and cleaner energy future,” he added.
Răstolița is part of a chain of new hydropower plants being developed by Hidroelectrica, a strategic company of the Romanian state. According to the Ministry, the project supports Romania’s carbon emission reduction targets and will provide both energy production and secondary benefits such as water management and flood prevention. However, environmental organizations have expressed concerns about its ecological impact.