Romanian Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja has announced that the Government is committed to unblocking and accelerating ten hydropower projects with a combined installed capacity of 700 MW. These projects, developed by state-owned Hidroelectrica, have already received €2.4 billion in investment.
While Minister Burduja did not specify the reasons for the delays, his remarks suggest that environmental permits and opposition from green activists may have contributed to the setbacks. The projects, which include both started and unfinished power plants, are expected to be completed by 2033.
Some of the projects are nearing completion, such as HPP Rastolița (35.2 MW) and the Livezeni-Bumbești hydro complex (65.1 MW), which are 89% and 90% complete, respectively. The Cena-Motru-Tismana project (119 MW) is also close to being finalized. HPP Rastolița is expected to be commissioned in 2026, followed by Livezeni-Bumbești in 2027.
The longest timeline belongs to HPP Islaz (28.8 MW) on the Olt River, set for completion in 2033. This plant will play a crucial role in enabling Hidroelectrica to operate in reversible and pump modes, improving the efficiency of several upstream hydropower facilities on the Olt River.
