The law for promoting the completion of hydropower plants in protected areas returns in its original form to the Presidency for promulgation, after the Chamber of Deputies – the decision-making body – rejected the president’s amendments.
The law will allow the completion of seven hydropower developments of Hidroelectrica, some of which have physical execution of over 80-90%.
The law was adopted on Wednesday by the Chamber of Deputies with 234 votes in favor, 32 against and two abstentions, while one parliamentarian did not vote.
The normative act amends GEO 57/2007 regarding the regime of protected natural areas and introduces an exception through which the central public authority for the protection of the environment, waters and forests orders the modification of the boundaries of protected natural areas within 60 days of the beneficiary’s request.
The measure applies to areas for which, on June 29, 2007, investment objectives for the implementation of hydropower developments were approved by Government decision or state decree, and the objectives were in progress or had been started before this date.
The list of the seven projects targeted by the new legislative framework was presented by the Ministry of Energy and includes the Răstolița, Livezeni-Bumbești, Surduc-Siriu, Pașcani, Cerna-Belareca, Cornetu-Avrig/Căineni and Cerna-Motru-Tismana, stage II developments.
Although the Ministry of Energy claims that all seven projects will bring approximately 214 MW of hydropower capacity to the system, USR officials say that, in fact, by decreasing flows, the maximum achieved could be only 33MW, or 0.5% of Romania’s power needs.
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