The Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, declared, on Saturday evening, that the project regarding the construction of the Tarnița-Lăpuşteşti hydropower plant was stuck in the drawers for decades. The minister stated that he expects to continue to be blocked by lawsuits with NGOs who find here “all kinds of yellow beetles, worms, butterflies and other species that no one has seen for decades”.
“When I took over the mandate, the Tarnița-Lăpusteşti project was put in a drawer, locked with a key. It didn’t seem normal to me because, in discussions with people who know the energy sector, they told me that it is the most important project for balancing the national energy system. It means an installed power between 500 and 1,000 MW. You know the principle, the lower lake from Tarnița exists, I was there today, I visited the dam. Very well maintained investment, it turned 50 this year and it’s like the first day. Hats off to those from Hidroelectrica”, declared Burduja, in a press conference.
“We are now struggling to complete the Răstolița hydropower plant with a 30-something meter dam and it will be a great achievement, it will be the first project started before 1989 that we manage to finish, but that is another topic that it belongs to Mureş county and our fight with the NGOs. I expect that in Tarnița-Lăpustești they will find all kinds of yellow beetles, worms, butterflies and other species that no one has seen for decades. That even in Răstolița, where there is a shingle, no one has seen a shingle for decades, that was the subject of the trial”, said Burduja, according to News.ro.
Sebastian Burduja added that in Romania there are no more companies that know how to build a dam, and that’s why partnerships with specialized companies are important.
“(…) The Romanian state, after years of not investing in hydropower plants, we no longer have companies that know how to do this, a dam. We have to be honest and partner with serious companies, learn from them, grow our companies and take this industry back,” said Burduja.