Drought entails $90m additional costs

Additional costs for energy production will top 2,400-3,000bn ROL ($90m) by yearend, as the nuclear power plant in Cernavoda ceased operations and Hidroelectrica’s output has slumped, according to Economy and Trade minister Dan Ioan Popescu. Hidroelectrica used to account for 30% of the total domestic power output, but its weight has gradually shrunk to 6.8% in the last months, because of the prolonged drought. The power consumption averaged 5,000 MW/h at the end of last week, with the hydropower plants contributing 735 MW (6.8%), according to the Economy and Trade Ministry (MEC). The plants running on coals worked wonders for the national power output (3,128 MW/h), while the hydrocarbon plants supplied 897 MW/h. ZF