Romania rejected the construction of Djerdap III! - There is no compromise, the Serbian RHPP would reduce the existing electricity production on the Danube

Romania will not make any compromise regarding the production of electricity in the hydroelectric power plants Djerdap 1 and 2 (Portile de Fier/Iron Gate I and II), said Romanian Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja.

The announcement comes in the context that Serbia wants to build a new hydroelectric power plant on the Danube, designated Djerdap III, downstream of the two existing ones (I and II), which would lead to a decrease in energy production at Iron Gate I and II, Romanian media reported.

- Iron Gate I is a pillar of our energy system, and constant investments in the modernization of this infrastructure are necessary to ensure the stability and efficiency of electricity production. Hidroelectrica remains a strategic partner in achieving Romania's goals of producing safe, green energy at a competitive price. As for Djerdap 3, a possible pumping storage facility on the territory of Serbia, it is now at the level of a feasibility study. The Serbian side cooperated with the US-based company Bechtel, which a week ago presented preliminary data on the investment and possible impact on energy production of Iron Gates I and II. We are very careful about these investment plans because we do not want under any circumstances to suffer the exploitation potential of the existing hydroelectric power plants on the Danube. We understand the importance of Djerdap 3 as a pumped hydroelectric power plant and its role in providing systemic, balancing services, but - once again - we will not make any compromises regarding the production of electricity from Iron Gates I and II - said the Romanian Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, who was on Monday in a working visit to the Portile de Fier I (Djerdap I) Hydropower Plant.

As Romania Journal reminds, Burduja also signed a memorandum on the construction of a gas pipeline between the two countries with the Serbian Minister of Energy on Monday.

- Last, but not least, the topic of Djerdap III (a hydroelectric power plant under pre-construction on the border of Serbia and Romania), a pumping station on the territory of Serbia, which is at the preliminary level of a pre-feasibility study, was discussed today. The Serbian side worked together with the US company Bechtel, which did this preliminary feasibility study, and a week ago they presented preliminary data about this investment and the possible impact on the infrastructure of Iron Gate I and II - Minister Burduja said at the time, according to a Romanian newspaper.

In the Serbian media, on Monday, not a single word was written about Romania's rejection of the construction of Djerdap III.

After signing the memorandum on the gas pipeline with her Romanian counterpart in Kladovo, the minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said that the ministers had discussed the development of the Đerdap III reversible hydroelectric power plant project with the directors of energy companies from both countries.

Previously, in May, during a conversation with the Romanian ambassador to Serbia, the minister stated that the preliminary feasibility study with the general project had been completed, "and that coordination with Romanian colleagues will be very important for the realization of this complex project". Then she said, as reported by the Ministry, that "teams have been formed on both the Serbian and Romanian sides that will cooperate closely in the future."

Romania Journal, however, now confirms the writings of some media and in Serbia, the relevant ministry in Bucharest responded to these statements by the Serbian minister and that the working group for the construction of the Iron gates III hydroelectric plant does not exist. The Romanian Ministry also emphasized that such a project "must be widely discussed, because it could have a significant impact on the environment and navigation".

We remind the readers, Serbia and Romania jointly built HPP Djerdap I and Djerdap II.

- We have large investment plans in the modernization and diversification of production capacities, with a strong focus on sustainability and innovation. Our company has set aside a budget of EUR 1.4 billion over the next 4 years for investments in modernization, re-technology and acquisitions. We have doubled the budgets for the maintenance of each hydroelectric plant. There are procedures and legal procurement deadlines, there are many challenges, but we are looking for solutions together with the entire Hidroelektrica team. This year, we have greatly increased the pace of investment across the company. I have approved the technical documentation and it will soon be published on SEAP for the transformers required at the Iron Gate. The purchase value of the high-power transformer in Portile de Fier is RON 119 million, the documentation for this purchase has already been completed, and the auction and implementation will follow until 2028. We are in the process of finalizing the works on the hub of the hydro unit located in Resita and we have until February 14, 2025 to put HA1 into operation - said Karoly Borbely, CEO of Hidroelectrica, who visited Portile de Fier together with the Romanian minister on Monday.

Serbian plan for Djerdap III

According to the website of PE Elektroprivreda Srbije, Djerdap III would be a reversible HPP that would be built at the 1007th kilometer of the Danube (downstream from Djerdap I and II).

The concept of the solution consists in the fact that water is captured from the Djerdap Lake from an elevation of 68 m, pumped into the upper planned basins of Pesac and Brodice, and that when the Serbian power system has surplus electricity. During load peaks, it works as a storage power plant that provides the necessary power and required amounts of energy.

It is planned that the reversible hydropower plant Djerdap III will be built in three stages.

The total amount of water in the Pesaca and Brodica reservoirs is 578 million m3, which provides the possibility of realizing an energy reserve for crisis periods in the EES. The energy equivalent of both reservoirs, in that last phase of development, would be around 484 GWh.

The total power for all three stages is 2,400 MW.

B. P.

Ministarstvo rudarstva i energetike Republike Srbije

BECHTEL LIMITED OGRANAK BEOGRAD

Ministry of Energy of Romania

Ministry of Energy of Serbia

Bechtel

Hidroelectrica

Sebastian Burduja

Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic

Karoly Borbely

HPP Djerdap 1

HPP Djerdap 2

RHPP Đerdap 3

construction of Djerdap 2

Iron gate

Portile de Fier