“We are in the midst of the process of choosing the designer of the Covaci solar park, which will cover 45 hectares, will develop some 20-25 MW, and will cost about €150 million,” said Balasa. The ADETIM official added that bids can be made until the end of October for the design. “We will choose the designer at the beginning of November. There are major European companies interested in this project,” said Balasa. Once the designer has been selected, CJ Timis will proceed with the application for structural funds for the project, a procedure that could take several months. “Because this is a public consumption project, we could obtain 98 percent in non-refundable European financing. If we had wanted to sell the respective energy, the percentage would have been 50,” added ADETIM’s General Manager.
Energy produced by the sun should cover consumption for public lighting, schools, kindergartens, etc., or generally institutions subordinate to the Council. Balasa added that construction could start at the beginning of 2011 at the earliest.
According to Iulian Florescu, Secretary General of the Romanian National Association of Energy Consumers, such an investment will help Romania to increase the quantity of green energy produced, thereby contributing to reaching targets set by the European Union in this area. “We are very pleased about such an investment, especially since no projects of this magnitude have been announced in solar energy before,” added Florescu.
Romania has significant potential for solar energy, with the main areas of interest for investments in Campia Romana, Campia de Vest, Banat, Transylvania, Moldavia, Dobrogea, the Black Sea coast, and the Danube Delta.
