English
The project regarding the completion of the construction works of the Răstoliţa hydropower plant obtained the environmental approval from the Mureş Environmental Protection Agency (APM) yesterday, according to a press release issued by ANPM.
According to the statement of the executive director of APM Mureş, Cristina Pui, the Răstoliţa reservoir will be 5.6 km long and will stretch over the main valley, the Răstoliţa river, and the valleys of the main tributaries. In order to build the basin of the reservoir and the necessary infrastructure, the final removal of an area of 171.44 ha from the forest fund and the clearing of 39.38 ha of land will be carried out. The necessary surfaces, owned by the state and managed by Romsilva, were approved for expropriation by Government Decision no. 900/2017.
This large-capacity hydropower project, the first of its kind built in Romania after 1990, is located on the territories of the communes of Răstoliţa, Lunca Bradului, Deda and Vătava and aims at both sustainable energy development and ensuring compliance with environmental protection norms. Within the project, all legal stages were completed, including public participation and the organization of four public debate sessions, to ensure transparency and the involvement of local communities and non-governmental organizations. The President of the National Agency for Environmental Protection (ANPM), Laurentiu Alexandru Păştinaru, emphasized the importance of complying with environmental requirements, stressing that the project was carefully evaluated and complies with the rules established by Law no. 292/2018.
The Răstoliţa hydropower plant, with an installed capacity of 35.2 MW and an estimated annual production of 58.14 GWh, was approved at the interministerial level and is aligned with the objectives of the Energy Strategy of Romania 2020-2030, with a projection until 2050, and with the National Integrated Energy and Climate Change Plan (PNIESC). The investment represents an important step towards the diversification of renewable energy sources in Romania.
The works for the objective "Răstoliţa Hydropower Development" were initiated based on Decree no. 95/1989, of the Construction Authorization no. 304 of December 3, 1990 (extended in 1997 to cover the entire project execution period) and environmental agreement no. 12 of November 7, 1990. The technical-economic indicators of the investment were updated by Government Decision no. 489/1996, adjusting the installed flow from 25 to 17 cubic meters per second. In 2003, the technical project of A.H.E. Răstoliţa, on the basis of which the volume of works remaining after January 1, 2003 was evaluated and execution contracts were concluded with various contractors. After the respective area was declared a protected natural area, the works were stopped until 2023, when, according to a law adopted by the Parliament, at the initiative of the social-democratic senator Daniel Zamfir, several hydropower projects with a high degree of completion (over 60 %) were unlocked, by removing them from the scope of the law by which the protected natural areas were established. That law was strongly contested by non-governmental organizations for the protection of the environment, but the authorities continued its implementation, despite the complaints that the NGOs submitted to the European and international institutions to the decision-makers in Bucharest. We mention that in the face of the accusations brought by the respective organizations, the Ministry of Energy filed complaints with the Public Prosecutor's Office in which they show that their actions are initiated and supported externally and are aimed at sabotaging our country's energy security and independence.
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