Mihai David, general manager of Hidroelectrica, says in the future opportunities to develop Romania’s hydropower potential come mainly from small facilities, considering that the big rivers, such as Danube, have already been set up.
“The best is long over. It would have been perfect if we had had
two or three Danubes, but now micro-hydropower stations are where
the growth potential lies,” David said.
His term as general manager of the company will end at the
beginning of next year, when he will be replaced by Constantin
Trihenea, former Sibiu prefect, currently advisor to Economy
Minister Ion Ariton.
The biggest hydropower plant in Romania is Porțile de Fier 1, with
an installed capacity of over 1,000 MW, higher than that of a
nuclear reactor of the Cernavodă power station.
David also explained one of the factors behind the company’s
average production costs is the fact that in Romania there are only
a few big hydropower stations, while the rest are small and
medium-sized. The explanations come in the wake of recent
statements from representatives of Fondul Proprietatea, which
controls 20% of Hidroelectrica, who say they do not understand why
production costs of local companies are higher than those of
similar companies in Russia and Brazil.