Environmental activists are asking President Klaus Iohannis not to make public the law approving GEO 175/2022, according to which nine hydroelectric plants are planned to be installed in protected natural areas/natural parks without an environmental impact assessment procedure. Kelin Dejeu, a biologist and a member of the World Commission of Natural Protected Areas, says that the entry into force of this law will be the biggest attack on nature in modern Europe, as it will lead to the destruction of 23 Natura 2000 sites and two parks. national parks, nature park and RAMSAR (wetlands of international importance).

The Romanian coalition federation Natura 2000 sent an open letter signed by representatives of 19 environmental non-governmental organizations with a request to President Klaus Iohannis to resubmit to the parliament the law adopted by the parliament and sent for promulgation.

The construction of nine hydroelectric power stations began during the communist period, on the one hand, the work was advanced, but was stopped due to lack of money or blocked precisely because the environmental legislation no longer allows them to continue, the destruction of the environment was enormous. For the Livezeni – Bumbeşti and Surduc – Siriu hydroelectric power stations, environmental NGOs have obtained through the court the cancellation of construction permits.

“These are big projects, even megalomania, typically Kavsist, all nine hydroelectric power stations. Works have already been developed for some of them. Together, they represent the biggest attack on nature in modern Europe, as they include the destruction of 23 Natura 2000 sites, two national parks, one nature park and one RAMSAR site. They completely destroy the riverbeds, but the impact cannot be limited, because in Jiului Gorge, almost all ecosystems in the gorge gravitate around Jiului. There will be a moment when Jiul disappears and pours a blow. It is about the destruction of a national park from one end to the other, something unthinkable even in the third world,” biologist Kelin Dejeu explained to HotNews.ro.

It says their economic impact is negligible in addition to the damage they cause to the environment.

“The economic contribution is very modest. When the Economic and Social Council expressed a negative point of view, estimated about 1% of the impact that it will have on the energy system, so small, but with incalculable environmental losses and very high economic losses, because we are talking about hundreds of millions of euros, public money, thrown away. With the same money, you can create legal, sustainable projects to produce much more,” Deje explained.

He is asking President Klaus Iohannis to resubmit the law to parliament.

“The basis of the Decree was that something should be done quickly so that these projects circumvent the laws, because we receive European funding for them. And it was all a lie, from the very beginning it was known that some projects with such an environmental impact could not receive European funding, but this was the reason for the adoption of the NP. When it was clear that they would not be financed, it was normal, if there were politicians with a backbone, to refuse this Decree,” Deje explained.

Natura 2000 coalition: A shortage of electricity production was caused, but in the meantime Romania became an exporter

The Romanian Natura 2000 Federation sent an open letter to President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday, signed by representatives of 19 environmental NGOs, demanding that the bill be re-sent to parliament.

“On October 30, the Official Gazette published the decision of the Constitutional Court regarding the appeal to the People’s Advocate with reference to the above-mentioned law. Unfortunately, the solution is not in favor of biodiversity conservation, but the last resort is in your hands: you can return to Parliament PL-x no. 57/2023”, says the open letter.

“The emergency decree 175/2022 was issued on the basis that the hydropower projects will be financed with REPowerEU, and in order not to lose European money. However, at the request of the European Commission, the projects were removed from the REPowerEU chapter. There was talk of a deficit in electricity production, but in the meantime Romania has become a net exporter, and there have even been alarming signals that we are moving towards overproduction. So we have no reason to sacrifice our nature, to destroy 23 Natura 2000 sites, two national parks, a nature park and a Ramsar site. Let’s dry Jiul, Bratcu, Dumitra, Belareca, Zăbala, Bâsca Mică, Bălescu Mare, Porcu, Bâsculita, Patac, Bâsca Mare, Paltin, Casoca, Donca, Bistra, Gălăoaia Mică, Gălăoaia Mare, Vișa, Răstolița, Valea Bradului and Ilva “, – the letter says.

The Giu in the gorge is an important element of Romania’s natural framework, and the disappearance of the Giu as a major mountain river, the last major mountain river still flowing freely in the Romanian Carpathians, significantly affects Romania’s biodiversity, the letter said.

Representatives of non-governmental organizations say that the construction of a hydroelectric power plant on Jiu is no longer possible under the conditions of climate change.

• “On the other hand, even the financial data shows that the claims of ‘90% construction’ have nothing to do with reality. All in all, the Ceausescu project in the Jului gorge is a completely unprofitable project, as Hidroelectrica officially recognized it, and this at a time when it did not consider the provision of any ecological flow, and climate change was not so significant that it amortized in 50 years . years
• Only those who abuse public money “invest” in this. With 75 million euros, new, sustainable, legal production units can be created that will produce incomparably more electricity and even faster than the anachronistic Jiului drying project could.
• Therefore, the continuation of illegal works, dumping at least 75 million euros into the Jului Gorge, only potentially reduces energy production in Romania,” the letter also states.

Decree 175/2022, adopted by the Government in December 2022, removes the following energy projects from the environmental impact procedure:

• Development of hydropower of the Zhiu River in the Livezhen – Bumbeshti section
• Hydropower development of the Olt river gorge in the Kornet – Avrig sector
• Pashkan Hydropower Station on the Siret River
• Development of hydropower in Rastolitsa
• Development of hydropower Surduc – Siriu
• Development of hydropower on the Siret River in the Kosmesta – Movileni section
• Hydrotechnical and energy complex Chern – Motru – Tismana, II stage
• Hydropower development of the Olt River in the Izbichen – Danube sector. Icelandic hydroelectric power station
• Development of the Cerna – Belareca hydroelectric power plant
• Using the potential of solar energy in the area of ​​Sadova-Debulen, Dolj – UAT Sadova
• Development of CTE Iernut through the construction of a new steam-gas CHP plant with gas turbines with an installed capacity of 430 MW.

What motivated the Government to adopt the Resolution?

The main reasons, which can be found in the appendix to the regulatory act, are:

• the strategic nature of investment projects for the implementation of hydropower, wind and photovoltaic installations and the fact that European funding through the REPower EU action plan requires a short period of time for evaluation, it is necessary to ensure the possibility of implementation until 2026. ;
• the central body for defense and national security – the Supreme Defense Council of the country has prioritized the current energy crisis of SPEEH – SA investment projects, which are at various stages of implementation, by improving Romania’s energy sustainability
• failure to take some emergency measures generates consequences with a significant negative impact, including on the competitiveness of the Romanian energy industry, given the current challenges of a geopolitical nature, as well as the extraordinary nature of the measures that must be taken in an emergency situation to increase energy security by encouraging the necessary investments.

In October 2022, several environmental organizations published an open letter asking EC President Ursula von der Leyen not to agree to hydropower projects proposed by the Romanian state in protected areas in Romania. Environmental activists point out that some of these projects violate EU directives on biodiversity and water protection and will cause devastating and irreversible damage to Romania’s Natura 2000 sites.

• “We are aware of the Romanian government’s intention to include hydropower projects in the REPowerEU section, some of which violate EU biodiversity and water protection directives and will cause devastating and irreversible damage to Romania’s Natura 2000 sites. Our thoughts are particularly focused on the Jiului Gorge National Park and the Natura 2000 Călimani-Gurghiu site, where extraordinary biodiversity is threatened by outdated hydropower projects and unrealistic energy planning.
• The difficult energy situation in Europe should not be used as an excuse to approve projects that will cause irreversible damage to our natural heritage”, says the open letter signed by representatives of the following organizations: Bankwatch Romania, Declic, Agent Green, Eco-Civica, Kelin Dejeu, member World Commission on Protected Areas – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), WWF Romania.

More than 33,000 people have signed a petition to prevent the destruction of Jiului Gorge

Petition “Stop the Destruction of Jiului Gorge!” initiated 6 years ago by Kelin Dejeu to save this river and stop the construction of a hydroelectric power station on the Jiu River in the Liveženi – Bumbeshti section, it has collected more than 33,000 signatures.

• “33 kilometers of the river bed will disappear. Jules, along the entire length of the gorge, will become a memory. It will be replaced by a pitiful trickle of water lost among the stones. In 2016, after a 4-year suspension, “work” resumed on the most environmentally destructive project implemented in the country over the past 27 years.
• Jiului Gorge is protected by law, it has been declared a national park and a Natura 2000 area.
• The ominous project involves guillotining the Jiului Canal through a dam at Livezen, from where the water is channeled through a tunnel to the gorge exit. In addition, they are making another dam on the third of the gorge, which will squeeze and direct some of the water that collects on the first third of the gorge into the drive.
• And the Bratka River, the hidden gem of the park, will be taken away. The Dumitra Stream, which still harbors protected fish species, will also be diverted and regulated until the downstream reaches are completely destroyed. Therefore, the hydrographic network of the national park will be destroyed.
• Deforestation, industrial roads, another bridge, construction sites, machinery that pollutes and disturbs the peace of nature for years, windows are attacked… The destruction of aquatic and coastal habitats, the drying of the microclimate of the gorge, will be felt on the entire set of ecosystems of the national park, which collapses The multi-thousand-year balance of primeval forests will be disturbed,” the petition reads.

Photo source: Dreamstime.com / Szymon Bartosz