Hydropower development in Romania. A review from its beginnings to the present

Abstract

Water is a prime element both for sustaining life on Earth and for complex human activity. In 2015 in Romania the average electricity production was of 7343MWh and the average consumption was of 6590MWh. The average hydropower generated was of 1894MWh, which is equal to 26% of the total production.In this paper, we aim at reviewing the hydropower system in Romania from its beginnings, in 1884, to its present development. The first hydropower plant in Romania was in Sinaia and had an installed capacity of 4×250kW. Now, Romania has more than 200 HPPs, with a total installed capacity of 6.443MW. In Romania, hydropower is the first main source of energy among RES, followed by wind energy.Between 1950 and 1990 were built 115 hydropower stations. This period is characterized by the construction of most of the hydroelectric power plants in Romania, including the largest. The development of the hydro potential has begun in Bistrița basin. After 1990, in the transition period, after the fall of communism, the number of installed hydropower plants decreased, by 2010 totaling an installed capacity of only 838MW, which means less than 14% of what was done before 1990. About 54% of Romania's hydropower potential is now arranged, and there are plans to reach 63.5% by 2025.The largest artificial lake of Romania is Lake Iron Gates I (Porțile de Fier I), constructed between 1964 and 1972 behind a 60m’ dam. Iron Gate I rank position 52 out of 66, in the list of largest hydroelectric power stations in the world. Iron Gates I system is one of the largest hydro constructions in Europe and the largest on the Danube.