In light of growing concerns over the revival of Răstolița hydropower project, dating back to the communist era, a coalition of NGOs urged the Romanian government to permanently halt its completion. They argue that it would cause more harm than good, violate national and EU laws, and undermine Romania’s international commitments to halt natural destruction.
The Răstolița HPP on the Mureș River, long-stalled, was approved in 1991. When environmental authorizations were just two pages long, few people understood the negative impact of hydroelectric dams, and EU membership was a distant dream for Romania.
Thirty years later, state-owned Hidroelectrica, Romania’s largest hydroenergy producer, seeks permission to revive this project as part of efforts to accelerate the renewable energy transition. However, the project’s massive social and environmental costs far outweigh the insignificant 35 MW of energy it would produce—energy that could be more efficiently sourced from lower-impact renewable alternatives, like a dozen wind turbines.
“We are at a crossroads in Romania: we can choose a path towards a positive and resilient future for nature or resort to outdated 20th-century plans like the Răstolița dam, which will destroy more rivers and forests and make local communities more vulnerable,” said Barbara Bendandi, Conservation Director at WWF-Romania. “Approving this zombie dam will benefit only Hidroelectrica, while future generations of Romanians will pay the price of increased water shortages and loss of nature. The government must not resurrect this dam.”
The environmental authorization for Răstolița expired years ago, and Hidroelectrica is now awaiting government approval to resume development.
Alongside members of the Natura 2000 Coalition Federation, Bankwatch Romania, Declic, and 2Celsius, WWF is urging authorities to reject the project due to its risks.
