Romanian hydropower group Hidroelectrica (BVB: H2O) has completed renovation works on hydro aggregate 5 (HA5) at Romania's Stejaru Hydropower Plant, increasing its power output from 50 MW to 54.126 MW. 

The EUR 12.3 million (RON 61.7 million) investment includes EUR 10.3 million (RON 51.5 million) allocated to re-engineering the hydro unit. The company's subsidiary, Hidroserv, with over five decades of expertise in the hydropower sector, carried out the upgrades.

This follows the 2020 refurbishment of hydro aggregate 6, also raising its power to 54.126 MW, Economedia.ro reported. 

These upgrades are part of a broader modernisation strategy for the Stejaru plant, one of Romania's largest hydropower facilities, to replace outdated equipment with advanced technology.

Stejaru's initial capacity of 210 MW has risen to 218.25 MW after the HA5 and HA6 upgrades. Plans are underway to modernise the plant's four remaining turbines, which currently produce 27.5 MW each, promising further capacity enhancements.

Constructed in the 1950s, the Stejaru hydropower plant is located near the Izvoru Muntelui Dam on the Bistriţa River. The dam, a 127-metre-high and 435-metre-long concrete structure, forms Lake Bicaz, Romania's largest artificial reservoir, with a storage capacity of 1.23 billion cubic metres.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Hidroelectrica)