Minster-delegate for water management Lucia Varga signed Tuesday a protocol with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Romania, according to which, starting January 31, the ministry would suspend the authorization for micro-hydropower plants construction in protected areas and would implement a law stipulating the areas where these investments would be constructed.
According to the water management data, a total of 316 micro-hydropower plants are already operational in Romania, while 156 are pending authorization.
At the end of last year, WWF Romania launched a campaign targeting legal protection for the mountain rivers in Romania, threatened by over 500 micro-hydropower plants, already constructed or pending authorization.
WWF representatives say these steps would be necessary due to the unclear laws, as Romania currently has no strategic planning mechanism to establish the locations where micro-hydropower plants can be built.
Varga stated that Romania should continue to produce power from renewable sources, but these investments should have a minimum impact on environment.