Romanian Minister of Energy Victor Grigorescu said that the Romanian state has spent five million euros for pumped storage hydropower plant Tarnita-Lapustesti project without any tangible results.
Minister Grigorescu explained that it was agreed to propose inclusively the suspension of the share capital increase procedure, according to the assessment made by the Ministry of Energy. The Ministry will also make an assessment whether there is a viable solution which may lead to the completion of this project.
He further argues that there is a report of the court of control which shows at least the suspicion of money management deficiencies and in the general management of the company in charge of the project. State-owned Society for the Administration of Ownership in Energy (SAPE) is a shareholder in HidroTarnita (the aforementioned company) and the Ministry requested from them detailed analysis of the manner in which HidroTarnita has fulfilled its obligations.
HPP Tarnita-Lapustesti project envisages the construction of pump storage hydropower plant with the output of 1,000 MW (4×250 MW). The future power plant will be built 30 kilometers northwest from Cluj-Napoca and represents a priority of national energy strategy in period 2007-2020. This power plant is supposed to help adjust the imbalances in Romanian energy system caused by the increased production of renewable energy, which is not constant. This plant could act both as a producer and a consumer of electricity, depending on the needs of the system.
Last year it was announced that three Chinese companies: China Gezhouba Group, China Huadian Engineering and Huaneng Lancang River Hydropower have formed a consortium and submitted a preliminary bid on the tender for the construction of this HPP, transmits Serbia-energy.eu
