The Romanian government has approved the start of negotiations and the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Serbia to facilitate information exchange on the proposed Đerdap 3 pumped storage hydropower plant on the Danube, local media reported, citing the government’s decision adopted on June 18.
Earlier this week, Economica was told by the government in Bucharest that an inter-ministerial assessment of Đerdap 3 was underway and that Romania was, in principle, fully open to the project.
The MoU highlights the strategic importance of Đerdap 3 in increasing energy security, improving grid stability, and facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources, according to the government’s decision, the Romania Journal reported.
The government designated interim Prime Minister and acting Energy Minister Ilie Bolojan to negotiate and sign the MoU with Serbia.
Đerdap 3 would support energy security, grid stability, and renewables integration
Đerdap 3 would be located in Serbia, on the right bank of the Danube, upstream of the Đerdap 1 hydropower plant, operated by Serbia’s state-owned power utility, Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS). The river forms the natural border between Serbia and Romania.
According to the document, the Romanian government wants to ensure that the new facility does not affect electricity generation at the existing hydropower plants Đerdap 1 and Đerdap 2 or the country’s cross-border project with Bulgaria, designed to improve navigation on the Danube.
Romania seeks to ensure Đerdap 3 does not harm power generation at the existing Đerdap 1 and Đerdap 2 hydropower plants
The two facilities are shared by Romania and Serbia. They are called Đerdap 1 and Đerdap 2 in Serbian and Iron Gate 1 and Iron Gate 2 in English. In Romanian, they are referred to as Porțile de Fier 1 and Porțile de Fier 2. Their capacity is 2.3 GW and 520 MW, respectively.
Earlier this month, the US Embassy in Serbia revealed that the Government of Serbia had issued a public call to companies from the United States to express interest in participating in the implementation of the Đerdap 3 project.
