Ooni Koda
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Newsfeed
  4. /
  5. Romania, U.S. sign memorandum on green energy storage...

Romania, U.S. sign memorandum on green energy storage through pumped storage hydropower plants

May 29, 2025

Romania's Hidroelectrica and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) - U.S. Department of Energy have initialled a memorandum that puts Romania at the forefront of Europe in the storage of green energy through pumped storage hydropower plants (PSH) throughout the Carpathian chain, Romania's Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja announced on Monday."Today, in Warsaw, on the sidelines of the Three Seas Summit, I had an excellent, extensive bilateral meeting with my ministerial counterpart from the United States of America, Christopher Allen Wright, secretary of energy. A graduate of the prestigious universities of MIT and Berkeley, he is one of the most respected personalities in the US energy sector, a follower of a pragmatic line, identical to my position: we need safe, cheap and clean energy - in that order of priorities. It was an essential discussion for the energy future of Romania and our region. We reaffirmed the common commitment to the development of strategic projects that will bring us closer to a major goal: transforming Romania into a strong, resilient and sustainable regional energy hub, under a strategic partnership with the United States of America," Burduja said in a social media post on Monday.According to the minister, the agenda of the discussions included small modular reactors (SMRs) at Doicesti,Romania, as the future of safe and clean nuclear energy, with state-of-the-art American technology (NuScale); Units 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda nuclear-power plant - a strategic project for which we signed the EPCM contract at the end of last year, including with two large American companies (Fluor and Sargent & Lundy); the HVDC project - the high-voltage DC interconnector, vital to the integration of renewables and the strengthening of the grid, to which Fluor is also a part.Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) plants were also addressed, along with the development of a chain of such "green batteries" in the Carpathian Arc, under the collaboration between Hidroelectrica and the prestigious National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) - U.S. Department of Energy."I am announcing for the first time that last weeks we signed a memorandum between NREL and Hidroelectrica, an approach that puts Romania at the forefront of Europe in the storage of green energy through pumped storage hydropower plants throughout the Carpathian chain. The pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, developed with American support, follow," wrote Burduja.Also discussed in Warsaw were geothermal energy - ELCEN's agreement with American partners for mapping and developing geothermal potential in Bucharest, a project that will be backed from the Modernisation Fund - and Romania's potential for natural gas production."Our discussion started from the reality that Europe is experiencing today: an increase in energy prices due to the lack of interconnection among countries; the shock therapy of shutting down coal-fired power plants without viable alternatives; costs of CO2 certificates, which affect competitiveness. America knows: a strong and competitive Europe is a guarantor of global stability. For that, we need to move from the Green Deal to the Smart Deal. Romania takes up its strategic partnership with the U.S. at the political and military level, and takes it to the vital business area, where the economic future and energy security are being built. As I said before, the bilateral relationship between Romania and the U.S. in the energy sector is exceptional, as evidenced by today's meeting. Major projects were, in fact, started during the first Trump administration. We reaffirmed our determination to work together in the spirit of the democratic values and economic freedom that define the U.S.-Romania alliance. Together, Romania and the United States are opening a new chapter in our strategic energy partnership. I am more confident than ever in the common future of safe, cheap and clean energy - I repeat, in that order of priorities."

Read in full - click here
EC approves EUR 1.27 bln Resilience Facility payment to Romania, withholds EUR 870 mln

The European Commission has approved a payment of EUR 1.27 billion to Romania as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) funding worth some EUR 28 billion in total. The rest of the scheduled payment, totaling EUR 870 million, was suspended. Romania’s European funds minister, Marcel Boloș, announced that three objectives included in […]

Three Romanian startups declared winners of CleanTech Hackathon 2025

The tech startups YellowGrid, WiseWatts and Procesio won CleanTech Corporate Hackathon 2025, the first event dedicated to innovators, startups and scaleups creating AI-based technologies and solutions for sustainable energy in South East Europe. YellowGrid, the team that won first place and the EUR 5,000 prize, is composed of Cătălin Stăncel, Sergiu Mureșan, Andrei Antohie and […]

Romanians’ trust in the EU above European average, Eurobarometer survey shows

Romanians' trust in the EU is well above the European average, but they occasionally show different priorities compared to those of most Europeans, according to the most recent Eurobarometer survey. The measurement, conducted in the winter and spring of 2025, shows an overall increase in European citizens’ trust in the EU, especially in the areas […]

Romania drops four positions in global ranking of startup ecosystems

Romania has dropped four positions in the global Startup Ecosystem 2025 report by StartupBlink. It is now ranked 48th worldwide, and has lost ground in Eastern Europe, where it dropped from 8th to 9th place, after Ukraine advanced one position and Greece two positions, surpassing Romania globally.  However, Romania is now 16th in the global AI top […]

Oradea City Hall inaugurates Romania's first geothermal station

The Nufărul geothermal station in Oradea, developed through a European project worth EUR 25 million, was officially inaugurated on Thursday, May 29. The station is the first of its kind in Romania, and builders had to drill approximately 2,800 meters for water.  “All extracted water comes to the geothermal station on Iancu de Hunedoara Street, […]

CTP expands partnership with HelpShip to 20,000 sqm at Oradea Cargo Terminal

CTP, a leading developer, owner, and operator of industrial and logistics properties, has extended its collaboration with HelpShip, a major e-fulfillment and logistics provider within the euShipments.com group, increasing HelpShip’s leased space to 20,000 sqm at CTPark Oradea Cargo Terminal. The expanded facility will serve as the company’s main fulfilment center. With HelpShip’s growth from […]