Romania agrees with Serbia’s proposed Djerdap 3 hydroelectric power plant “in principle,” but still analyzing

The Romanian government is in the phase of an inter-ministerial assessment of the project to build the Iron Gates 3 hydroelectric power plant (Djerdap 3), one of the potentially largest energy projects in Southeast Europe, Romania Insider reported, citing the Romanian executive’s response to a query by the portal Economica.net.

According to the Romanian government, the evaluation of the project covers several aspects, including the economic impact, the consequences for Romania’s energy system, and the environmental effects. It is emphasized that Romania is “in principle completely open” to the implementation of this project, but that it is still in the analysis phase.

Let us remind that, as eKapija reported, the US Embassy in Belgrade launched a public call for expressions of interest last week for the construction of the Iron Gates 3 reversible hydroelectric power plant, which represents a new step in the development of the project that has been under consideration in the region for a long time.

The project relies on an intergovernmental framework of cooperation, and there are already public discussions in Serbia and Romania about its possible environmental consequences and impact on the existing hydroelectric power plants on the Djerdap, the Romanian media reports.

The designed capacity of the plant is around 2,400 MW, with the possibility of an additional 400 MW from renewable sources such as wind and solar energy. The estimated value of the investment is around EUR 2.63 billion, while the completion of the project is planned for 2038.

It is reminded that some international companies have previously shown interest in the project, including Bechtel, which participated in the preparatory technical studies.

At the same time, the Romanian authorities are also considering the possible effects of the project on the operation of the existing hydroelectric power plants Iron Gates 1 and Iron Gates 2 (Djerdap 1 and 2), which Romania and Serbia have jointly managed since the period of socialist Yugoslavia and Romania, which further adds to the complexity of the assessment.

B. P.

Government of Romania

RHPP Djerdap 3

construction of reversible hydroelectric power plant