On the banks of the Buzeu River in Romania, an 85% completed hydroelectric power station is waiting for its final "doorstep kick". In 2026, state-owned hydropower enterprise Hidroelectrica officially launched a new round of bidding, selecting contractors from the market to be responsible for the equipment supply and installation of Nehoia ș u 2 hydropower station. The project has an installed capacity of 55MW and a budget of 49.5 million euros (excluding value-added tax). The contract will be executed on a turnkey basis.

Why is this nearly completed power station being tendered at this time? The answer lies in its 44 month implementation cycle and increasingly stringent environmental requirements. As an important component of the Surduc Siriu complex, the completion of Nehoia ș u 2 will significantly enhance the regional clean energy supply capacity.

85% completion, bidding covers mechanical and electrical equipment and substation expansion

Nehoia 2 is currently 85% completed and entering its final sprint phase. This tender is part of a larger investment plan for the Surduc Siriu complex, covering the design, supply, installation, and commissioning of mechanical and electrical equipment; 110kV substation expansion; Software, protection systems, and telecommunications infrastructure construction; Personnel training.

After the contractor is confirmed, the project implementation period is 44 months, and the bidding deadline is October 13, 2026. In terms of technical parameters, Nehoia 2 will be equipped with a 55MW Francis turbine, with an estimated annual power generation of 152GWh and a reservoir capacity of 400000 cubic meters. This 49.5 million euro contract will be executed on a turnkey basis, meaning that the winning bidder will be responsible for delivering the entire process from design to commissioning.

Buzewu River Cascade Hydropower Station Group, with a total installed capacity of approximately 76.5MW

After the completion of Nehoia 2, it will complement the existing power stations along the Buzeu River, forming a cascade group with a total installed capacity of approximately 76.5MW. All existing stations were completed before 1990: Nehoia ș u 1 has an installed capacity of 42MW, C â nde ș ti has an installed capacity of 11MW, Verne ș ti has an installed capacity of 11.8MW, and Simileaska has an installed capacity of 11.7MW.

The Surduc Siriu complex spans the counties of Buzeu, Francia, and Kovasna, and also covers the basins of the B â sca Mare and B â sca Mic ă rivers. The addition of Nehoia ș u 2 will further improve the clean energy layout in this region and fully unleash the hydropower potential of the Buzeu River.

Ecological flow and water rights become hard constraints

On the same day of the tender release, the Romanian Ministry of Environment, Water Resources and Forestry issued a draft environmental approval for the Surduc Siriu project, which includes stricter protection clauses than the initial proposal. Mainly including: ensuring the maintenance of ecological flow in the B â sca Mare section downstream of Surduc Dam; Special research must be commissioned to evaluate the engineering measures required to safeguard the water rights and interests of local residents.

This means that participating contractors not only need to have strong capabilities in supplying and installing water and electricity equipment, but also need to be able to meet increasingly strict environmental compliance requirements. In Romania, green infrastructure is no longer an option, but a threshold that must be crossed. Bidders who neglect environmental capacity building will find it difficult to win this bidding even if their prices are low. Editor/Yang Beihua