The country's government has approved the deforestation of more than 30 ha required to complete the development of the HPP, Burduja said in a social media post on Thursday. Once commissioned, the HPP is estimated to generate 120 GWh of green energy per year.
The Romanian state has invested over 714 million lei ($157.6 million/143.5 million euro) to date in the hydropower project located in the central county of Mures, which was initiated in 1989 but was delayed and blocked for many years. The project is currently 89% finalised, Burduja said.
"If all goes well, the lake basin will be filled this autumn – up to an elevation of 720 metres," Burduja said. "By the end of the year, Rastolita will deliver energy to the National Energy System! A dream come true after 36 years. The project, started in 1989, will become the first unblocked and completed hydropower plant in Romania's recent history," he added.
In October, Burduja said that Romania was holding talks with a consortium comprising Japanese corporation Itochu and French energy giant Electricite de France (EDF) for the development of the Tarnita-Lapustesti pumped hydro storage (PHS) power plant, a 50-year-old project whose development has been put off for decades.
Romania will resume work on the development of the 35.2 MW Rastolita hydropower plant (HPP), with plans to commission the plant by the end of the year, energy minister Sebastian Burduja said.
(SeeNews, April 4, 2025)
